How The World Ends
by TheFreckledKangaroo
Summary: Bellatrix is still alive; her power and reign over the wizarding world is steadily growing. Between the chaos and fear, small rays of joy are found. Draco and Hermione are happy, and their children are growing up to be fine witches and wizards. Bellatrix is also watching the Malfoy children. One of them is the child of the Prophecy, and Bellatrix is determined to avoid the outcome.
1. Prologue

_**A/N: Hello all! "I have come back to life!" (anyone that can name the movie from that gets extra brownie points and possibly their name in the author note of the next chapter!) I'm back with the Sequel to HOW THE WORLD CHANGES. I'm super excited for this one, and I'm going to try and make it even better than the first. I've written like five hundred different prologues for this fic, but this is the one that just seemed perfect ya know? I know that it's no where near perfect, but I think I'm gonna stick with it. :) I'm not quite sure yet how long this fic will be, but it won't be any longer than HTWC for sure. In fact it will probably be shorter... but c'est la vie.**_

 _ **Thank you for all of you who have been waiting patiently for this fic... you are amazing. I'm going to try and update every two weeks because things are getting a little crazy with college stuff and holidays and I don't want to be a hermit in my room writing through all of Christmas break so...yeah. Anyways, sorry I talk so much, I promise not to do this every chapter. ;) Please read and review! -TheFreckledKangaroo**_

 _ **...**_

Prologue

A woman crouched on the frozen ground, pale white flakes falling peacefully around her; completely contrasting the catastrophic phenomenon happening precisely at the same moment. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she steadied her husband who was leaning heavily against her shoulder; her salty tears mingling with the crimson liquid quickly staining the front of his shirt. She turned briefly to look behind her for a moment, her throat closing as she took in the sight of the building behind her completely engulfed in flames; parts of the giant edifice already falling, some already collapsed and crumbled. The sounds of screams surrounded her on all sides; people running to and from the building trying to evacuate. Her breath coming in short, sporadic gasps, she turned back around and pressed the fine linen of her cloak to her husband's chest, attempting futilely to delay what she knew was bound to happen.

"You have to go," he managed to choke out, wincing as she pressed her cloak against his chest.

She shook her head, tears still trailing down her pale face. "I can't leave you."

"I know," he whispered, gently brushing his thumb over her cheek. "But you _need_ to. We can't make our children orphans."

"They need you. _I need you_ ," she cried. "I can't do this by myself."

"Yes you can," he smiled, a flash of pain crossing his face.

She cried out in agony, her heart torn as tiny hands wrapped around her arm.

"Mummy," a small voice sounded next to her.

The woman turned to the young child, picking her up in a tight embrace; clenching her teeth in pain as the wound in her side screamed. She wrapped her cloak tighter around herself and her daughter, attempting to block out the chill of the winter storm and the sight of the child's dying father.

"Mummy!" the child cried again, tears pouring down her small face. "Daddy hurt…"

"Shhh," the woman soothed, attempting to wipe her daughter's tears away; choking back a scream as she realized her hands left bloody streaks across the young girl's face. "Daddy's going to be fine okay?" she choked out, hoping the child believed her.

"Daddy," the girl repeated.

The woman turned back to her husband; her eyes full of pain as she clutched her daughter to her chest. "Okay," she whispered, setting the young girl down.

The toddler wobbled on unsteady feet, falling against her father. "Daddy hurwt."

Her father nodded, holding his daughter's hand lightly in his. "Yes love. But daddy's going to be alright."

"Really?" she asked, her brown eyes turning bright with hope.

"Really," he replied, tears pricking the edges of his vision. "Can you do something for me?"

His daughter nodded, her brown hair bouncing around her small face. He smiled, wincing as another wave of pain coursed through his body. "Perfect," he whispered.

"What my hafta do?" the girl smiled, seeming excited about doing something for her father.

"You have to go with your mum alright?" he said, looking into his daughter's bright eyes. "Your mum is going to take you and your brothers and sister's far away from here...where it's safe."

The young girl smiled, but her brow quickly furrowed in confusion. "Daddy come with us?"

He shook his head, glancing over at his wife whose face was clouded with pain. "I can't come with you right now. I'm sorry sweetheart."

"Comes later?" she questioned.

The woman held her hand to her mouth to muffle her choked sob; not wanting her daughter to know about her father's impending death. She looked at her husband, their eyes meeting over their child's head before he turned down to look at the young girl.

"Sweetheart….if you go with your mum now, I promise that you'll see me again someday," he said softly. "Can you promise me that?"

His daughter nodded, the light coming back into her eyes. "I pwromise daddy," she smiled, wrapping her small arms around his neck.

"That's my good girl," her father smiled, holding her softly for a moment before pulling away. "You've got to go with your mum now. It isn't safe here."

She nodded, turning back to her mother and walking unsteadily a few steps away to plop down on the grass; seemingly oblivious to the roaring flames and destruction all around her. "Loves you daddy," she smiled, waving her small hand toward him before turning to play with a stray dandelion.

"I love you too sweetheart," he replied, turning away from his daughter to look at his wife.

The woman wrapped her arms around her husband's neck, her shoulders shaking slightly. "I'll tell her one day," she whispered. "She'll know what her father died for."

He wrapped his arm tighter around her; his other held on the ground, supporting him. "She'll have you, and her siblings...she'll grow up to be an amazing witch," he responded.

"I'll come back for you. Once I get our children to safety, I'll come back. I'm not going to leave you here to die," she said softly, placing her hand on the side of his face as she looked into his eyes.

"Don't come back," he said firmly. "It's too dangerous. Stay with our children… they need you."

"They need you too," she whispered, tears still streaming down her face.

"We'll all see each other again. I promise," he smiled, kissing her softly.

They pulled apart as an explosion from the castle rattled the ground around them. More of the large edifice crumbled and the noise of all the people around them became more chaotic. He turned to look at the large building, his brow furrowed with worry. "You have to go. Now," he said, his voice firm. "Find our children and get them out. Please go, or this will all be for nothing."

The woman nodded, pulling away from her husband; her heart jumping in her chest as multiple clouds of dark smoke surrounded them. She grabbed her daughter, clutching her tightly to her chest as the smoke dispersed, leaving masked Death Eaters in its wake. Her daughter turned slightly in her arms; her small face twisting in fear as she saw the cloaked figures.

"Mummy?" she whispered, turning her fearful face to her mother.

"It's okay sweetheart," the woman replied softly, letting her daughter bury her small face into her shoulder.

The Death Eaters raised their wands, aiming them at the mother and daughter. "Now might be a nice time to surrender," one of them voiced as they all took a step closer.

The woman opened her mouth to respond, but before she could her husband rose somewhat unsteadily, his wand pointed firmly at the Death Eaters. "Not likely."

"You really think you can fight us in your condition?" they laughed in unison. "You might as well already be dead."

"Maybe," he snarled. "But I can probably take a few of you down with me."

The Death Eaters laughed again, and he glanced back at his wife. "Go. Now," he said firmly, his eyes flashing. "I'll hold them off as long as I can."

She nodded, giving him one last look before turning and running for the forest; holding her daughter tightly in her arms. Her husband watched her for only a moment before turning back to the Death Eaters, his gaze firm and stone cold.

"What a brave front," a Death Eater rasped. "Too bad it will all be for nothing." The Death Eater fired a spell at him; but he threw up a shield quickly, effectively blocking the curse. "Too bad to. It seems like you have quite the nice little family there."

The man's face contorted with rage as he fired back relentlessly. "You stay the hell away from them."

The Death Eater grinned cruelly; his eyes flashing as he returned the man's attacks. "Can't make any promises."

...

"Mummy, we left daddy," the girl cried, clinging tightly to her mother's neck.

"I know. Daddy is going to meet us soon," the woman answered breathlessly, pausing behind a tree to catch her breath.

The little girl nodded, a small smile appearing on her face, before turning into a look of horror as she screamed in fright.

The woman turned at the girl's outcry and a popping sound behind her. She stifled a scream as she whipped out her wand and fired a spell at the masked figure, knocking them off of their feet.

"Hold on tightly love," she whispered to her daughter.

The girl tightened her hold around her mother's neck as the woman continued sprinting towards the woods, away from the burning wreckage of the building behind her; trying not to think about her most likely dead husband.. She ducked as a bright burst of green flew past her shoulder, setting the tree to her right on fire.

"Mummy!" the girl screamed, burying her small face once again in her mother's shoulder as the pursuer shot another jet of green flame towards the running woman.

She quickened her pace; throwing a quick hex behind her, knocking over a tree in a futile attempt to block the masked assailant. The tree did nothing however, as the man dissolved into a cloud of black smoke before reaching the fallen wood. The woman kept running, her feet crunching against the frozen ground littered with fallen snowflakes. She and the child screamed in unison as the man reappeared directly in front of them, promptly disarming the woman in her second of confused alarm. The woman stood facing the masked man, unable to move; literally, as he had cast a freezing spell, holding her firmly in place.

"Mummy?" the girl whispered, looking up into her mother's eyes.

"Yes dear?" her mother replied, clutching her daughter close to her chest.

"Daddy coming now?" her daughter asked, small tears forming in her eyes. "He prwomised ifs I went 'way."

"Yes love," her mother replied, her own eyes filling with tears. "We're going to see daddy again real soon."

The girl smiled, reaching out to touch the curls cascading over her mother's shoulders, her head turning slightly towards the masked man standing behind her, holding her mother's wand.

"Keep your eyes on me sweetheart," the woman whispered, taking her daughters chin in her hands again and drawing her gaze back towards her.

The girl nodded, keeping her grey eyes locked on her mother's. "Loves you mummy," she smiled, pulling on one of the brown curls and watching it bounce. timid voice as the masked man raised his wand.

The woman tearfully nodded as the man laughed evilly from behind them. "What's love going to do for you now?" he growled in a low, dark voice.

"Mummy?" the girl asked.

The woman smiled, tears rolling down her cheeks as she looked at her young daughter. "I love you too darling," she whispered. "I love you so much."

Her voice trailed off as the girl's small head fell lightly against her shoulder; the soft brown curls mingling with her own. She lovingly stroked her daughter's head as the masked man fired his final spell; the mother and child falling to the ground as the jet of green light hit them. The masked man laughed cruelly into the night and disappeared once more in a billowing cloud of black smoke.


	2. Chapter 1

_**A/N: Alright, here is the long awaited first chapter of HOW THE WORLD ENDS! Sorry it took me a bit to upload this one, I wasn't exactly sure the direction I wanted this chapter to go, so I wrote about seven different ones and finally decided on the one you're about to read.**_

 _ **I want to thank those of you who have already read, favorited, followed and reviewed!**_

 _ **To** Zeb1312 **: thank you so much for your lovely review! You will never know how glad I am that you are already so intrigued by my story! Unfortunately, I cannot reveal who the characters in the prologue are...or the story will never have any suspense. ;) But I promise just like in HOW THE WORLD CHANGES the prologue will eventually turn into a chapter of its own, and you will then find out who the characters are if you haven't already guessed. Again, thank you for your review, and I hope you will keep reading and that you enjoy this next chapter.**_

 _ **To** Dramione shipper17 **: AHH! Your review gives me the happy, tingly, butterflies! Oh that sounds so cheesy when I write it down... oh well, it's true. I'm pretty sure I've read your review like twenty times. To answer your question about the timeline of the Prologue to this first chapter, the prologue takes place in the future, so Chapter 1 will jump back in time and the story will kind of build up to where the prologue happens. If you read HOW THE WORLD CHANGES, that's what I did with the prologue there too. So in your words, I'm going back to the start for this chapter and the ones to come, and the prologue will happen somewhere in there. :) Thank you again for your review! I hope you like this chapter!**_

 _ **To** Ruka-Yuuya **: I know I know...I may or may not have a problem with wanting to kill people off. But I can promise you that not EVERYONE dies...yeah. I can actually promise that. Thank you for your review, and I'm so glad that you were patiently anticipating this chapter! Here it is and I hop you like it!**_

 _ **To** Griffindor Hatstall **: I'm so so so so sorry! I know you are begging me not to kill him. As of right now, I can put your heart and mind to ease. At the moment I do not have plans for the father in the prologue to die... but you never know. He might. ;) I'm sorry, that's awful of me to say, but it is what it is. But whoever he is, right now, he remains alive! Thank you for your review and I hope you keep reading and reviewing!**_

 _ **To** DianneBaquiran **: I know you said you were tearing up reading the prologue, but I can't help but feel happy by that! My hope was that the prologue would be somewhat emotional and pull on your heartstrings a bit. I'm really trying to make this fic better than HOW THE WORLD CHANGES, so I'm glad that you are already loving it! Thank you so so so much for your amazing review! It made me so happy (even though I can totally relate to the whole tearing up thing...I was when I was writing it). I hope you like this next chapter and that you continue to read!**_

 _ **So these were just the kind souls who left reviews for my prologue and I wanted to thank them individually. However, I truly do appreciate ALL of you who are reading my fic. It really does mean a lot. I always dreamed of putting my fanfiction work out there for others to read, so all of you are helping me to achieve my dreams. Anyways, sorry this author note is so long, I really wanted to thank my reviewers and answer their questions. :)**_

 _ **As like in my first fic, I do not own anything that you recognize. I am however, going to try to keep this pretty close character-wise to what J.K. Rowling had planned for the next generation. So children like James Sirius Potter, Scorpius Malfoy, Rose Weasley, etc, will all be present somehow. Their parents may have changed to follow my personal fic, but they are still there and they still belong to the amazing J.K. Rowling. Characters you do not recognize however, were created by me. :)**_

 _ **Alright, I know you want to read, so I'll stop talking and let you get to it.**_

 _ **...**_

Chapter One

Evanna Malfoy strode purposefully along the dimly lit corridors of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, her sensible black heels clicking neatly against the smooth-cut stone floor, her wand held lightly in her hand, and her golden blonde hair bouncing lightly against her shoulders. She sighed internally as she walked quickly up the steps leading to Gryffindor tower; the music already pounding in her ears and the loud voices carrying down the hall. Reaching the Fat Lady's portrait, Evanna knocked politely on the heavy oak doors, seeing that the Fat Lady seemed to be off visiting a friend. Presently, the portrait swung open, revealing the messy-haired, smug features of none other than James Sirius; the exorbitantly aggravating and vexatious son of Harry Potter.

"If it isn't Evanna Malfoy, the high and mighty Head Girl," James smirked, casually leaning against the doorframe. "What can I do you for?"

Evanna pursed her lips slightly at his implication, but chose not to encourage his antics. "What in Merlin's name is going on in there James? It's loud enough to wake the whole castle."

"Wake the whole castle huh? Well to me it looks like you're the only one that's awake," James said smugly, glancing down the corridor behind her.

Evanna rolled her eyes, placing her hands on her hips. "James, I know you and the rest of the Gryffindor house are known for your….wild and eccentric parties, but it's well past curfew and people are trying to sleep."

James paused, a pensive look on his face that quickly dissolved into a self-assured smirk that would rival Evanna's father. "You're just jealous that you weren't invited."

"James, I'm just doing my patrol rounds," Evanna sighed.

"Well, if you don't report this to McGonagall… I'm sure you could stick around for the rest of the party. You could be my plus one," James winked, oblivious to any sign she'd ever given him that she wasn't interested.

"James Potter are you flirting with me in order to get out of a detention?" Evanna asked quietly, a coy smile forming on her lips.

"Maybe I am," James replied, taking a step closer to her. "What do you say Evanna?"

She smiled again, noticing that the door to the Gryffindor common room had opened completely, and they now had an eager audience. "I'm not exactly a party girl James," she replied hesitantly, holding her wand behind her back.

"You'd be with me," James answered, his smirk still in place. "Besides, everyone would treat you special seeing as you'd be the _only_ Slytherin invited."

Evanna paused, the people in the corner of her eye growing increasingly excited over what they were seeing. "While that does sound remarkably wonderful, I think I'll have to decline," she responded, her own smirk now lining her pale features as she stuck a slip of parchment to his lips. "You have a week's worth of detention after break."

James stared at her; his eyes wide with shock while the people at the door rioted. Their hoots, hollers and crazed laughter echoing around the hall as Evanna shrugged, her smirk still in place as she turned to leave.

"If you won't come to the party, at least let me walk you out out of Gryffindor Tower," James said, stopping her in her retreat. "It's the least I can do."

"That's not necessary James, I know how to get back to my common room on my own," Evanna replied, picking up her pace slightly as James walked along beside her.

"I know," he responded, slipping his arm through hers.

Evanna attempted to get her arm out of his, but as soon as they rounded the corner and were out of the party-goers sight, his grip tightened and she felt the need to slip her wand back out of its pocket. Before she could react, Evanna found herself up against the cold stone wall, her wand falling to the ground and rolling a few feet away.

"James, what are you doing? Let me go," she said firmly, trying to focus enough to call her wand to her.

"Not a chance," he hissed angrily. "You _humiliated_ me infront of everyone."

"Not everyone," Evanna replied, her heart dropping as her wand flew up from the ground to land in James' palm.

"Nice try Evanna," James smirked coldly. "But I know your tricks. You forget, but we were trained together. I know how you fight."

"So really you should have seen my answer to your little invitation coming from miles away," she responded, flinching as his grip on her wrists tightened. "James, you're hurting me."

"Can't you stand a little pain?" he spat in response, his green eyes flashing. "You parade around the school like you're a goddess in need of subjects, and you treat everyone as if they were beneath you."

"It sounds to me like you're describing yourself," Evanna replied evenly. " _The firstborn son of The Boy Who Lived_."

"See? You're doing it again," James laughed coldly. "Mocking someone because you think they shouldn't be on the same level as you."

"That's not what I'm doing James, now let me go," she repeated, a bit of anger and fear seeping into her tone.

"Let me tell you something Evanna," James said, dropping the volume of his voice to where it was barely above a fierce whisper. "In case it escaped your notice, you're a Slytherin. You don't deserve the position you have and frankly, I'm surprised McGonagall gave it to you."

"Oh so being a Slytherin automatically makes it alright for you to do this to me?" Evanna hissed, grimacing again as James pressed her harder against the stone wall.

"Not just you Evanna," he replied. "It's all Slytherins. You really can't be trusted. The whole lot of you are liars, cheats, traitors, con-artists, and every other despicable thing anyone could think of. The worst wizards and witches come from Slytherin."

"In case it escaped _your_ notice _Mr Potter_ ," Evanna interrupted. "Your brother is a Slytherin, and your father, the acclaimed Boy Who Lived, was almost placed into Slytherin as well."

"This isn't about Albus," James hissed. "This about you and how you turned out just as corrupted as your _father_."

"James, let me go. You're drunk and you aren't thinking straight," Evanna said.

"Oh I'm thinking plenty straight," James replied cruelly. "Your father was despicable. Do you know the things he did to my father and to everyone else? Evanna, your father was a _Death Eater_ ; he served Voldemort willingly."

"Don't you dare talk about my father that way," she spat, her bright grey eyes flashing.

"I'll talk about your father any way I want to," James replied, leaning closer, causing Evanna to turn away; the smell of firewhiskey overpowering her. "You're no better than he is."

Evanna opened her mouth to retort when James reeled away, crashing ungraciously onto the hard floor; freeing her from his grip. She turned, relief flooding through her as she noticed her brother; his hand clenched tightly in into a fist and his wand held in the other. She bent down and picked up her wand, pointing it at James who had clambered up from the floor and was staring daggers at the siblings.

"You talk to her that way again Potter, and the next one goes in your jaw," Evander growled, his silver grey eyes flashing dangerously. "I probably don't need to remind you that I was a Beater for two seasons and Bludgers are much heavier than a human skull."

James stood, rubbing his shoulder tenderly. "No matter what you do or say, it doesn't change the facts. You're father was a scoundrel and it seems the trait has been passed down to the ignonimous Malfoy twins," he spat, his features twisted in fury.

"I already warned you Potter. Go back to Gryffindor Tower before you do anything else you'll regret," Evander repeated, his wand now also pointed at the messy haired boy.

James glared at them once more before turning and retreating down the hall; disappearing back to the party. Evanna released the breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding, and let her arm fall to her side; her wand still gripped tightly in her hands.

"Are you hurt?" Evander asked quietly, his handsome features lined with worry as he turned to his sister.

"No," Evanna replied, pocketing her wand and starting to walk down the stairs; eager to get back to the common room.

"You're lying. I can see blood on your hand," Evander commented, stopping her retreat.

"It's nothing Vander," she said quietly. "I just cut my hand on one of the rough cobblestones."

"You need to tell McGonagall and Slughorn that James attacked you," he responded.

"It's not a big deal," Evanna replied. "It's just a scratch, and it wasn't really James."

"He knew what he was doing, and you need to report it. There's enough going without students attacking each other."

"Evander, it's fine," Evanna repeated. "Everyone's a little stressed over the news from Mahoutokoro...and you know how the Gryffindor's party."

Evander nodded, his jaw clenched slightly. "Lots of music, food and alcohol."

"Exactly. So even without the bad news riling everyone up, James wasn't likely to be himself, let alone thinking straight," Evanna said, staring out the window. "Besides, he has detention when we get back."

"He deserves more," Evander commented, watching his sister.

"Thank you for helping me. Saving me more like it," Evanna said softly. "You shouldn't have been out of the common room though. It's dangerous, especially when you're by yourself."

"I was worried about you," Evander replied, putting his hands into the pockets of his grey slacks. "Rounds don't usually take you long, and you'd been gone for over an hour."

"I've been gone for a long time before," Evanna said simply.

"This time was different," he pointed out. "I could… _feel_ it. I knew something was up. And Scorp said he hadn't seen you on his rounds."

"Thank you," Evanna whispered. "I'm not sure what I would have done if he hadn't let me go. I didn't want to hurt him."

"Like I said before, he would have deserved it," Evander sighed, gently grabbing her hand and passing his wand over the red gash that ran across the back of her hand. He was ready to let go and suggest they get back to the common room when he noticed the numerous dark bruises that were forming around Evanna's pale wrists. "Look what he did to you," he whispered in shock and anger.

"They'll go away Vander," she replied softly, tears threatening to escape her pale grey eyes.

"I've never known James to be this aggressive," Evander growled slightly. "Even in training."

"Let's get back to the common room before Scorpius thinks we both died or something awful like that," Evanna said suddenly, pulling her hand out of his and walking quickly down the hall; Evander following right on her heels.

They reached the common room quicker than normal and hurriedly whispered the password; the great stone wall sliding apart to reveal the long passageway leading to the Slytherin common room. The twins quietly opened the large, black metal door and slipped through; the stationary figure leaning against the couch, rising as the door clicked shut..

"Merlin, I thought you two had been eaten or something," Scorpius whispered, flicking his wand to raise the lights. "What happened?"

"Just a problem with a student," Evanna responded quietly, at the same time Evander replied with, "James attacked her."

"James? Albus' brother attacked you? Why?" Scorpius questioned, shock seeping into his words.

"It's nothing. Just a misunderstanding," Evanna replied, not meeting his eyes. "I'm going to bed. I'll see you two tomorrow morning."

As she disappeared up the stairs to the Slytherin Head Girl room, Scorpius turned back to his older brother, anger lining his normally calm features. "What happened?"

"I don't know everything," Evander replied, running his hands through his golden blond hair. "I arrived after he already had her."

"That doesn't sound like James," another voice piped in; pale blonde locks and grey eyes peeking over the edge of the velvety green couch.

"What are you doing awake Cal?" Evander questioned, glancing at Scorpius.

"I found her in the corner reading right after you left," Scorpius offered in explanation. "She'd heard most of our conversation, so I had to fill her in on what I knew."

"So what happened? You said James attacked Vanna," Callista repeated. "That doesn't sound like him at all."

"She's right," Scorpius agreed. "James is a prankster, but he's not cruel."

"I don't know what possessed him to act like that," Evander replied with a sigh. "All I know is that he was extremely angry, and he took it out on Evanna."

"Is she okay?" Callista questioned, moving so she could perch on the back of the sofa.

"She claims so. I think going to bed will help," Evander replied with a small smile. "And it'll be good that break starts tomorrow so maybe everything will cool down by the time we get back."

Callista smiled, breaking into a yawn only a few seconds after. "Well I'm glad you two are back and you're okay, but I'm going to go to bed now."

"'Night Cal," Scorpius and Evander said in unison, watching her walk tiredly off to the stairs leading down to the girl's rooms.

"We should probably get to bed too," Scorpius sighed, rubbing his eyes. "Mum will freak out if we all come home looking like the living dead tomorrow."

Evander laughed softly, nodding in agreement. "It probably wouldn't be a good idea to give her a heart attack as soon as we step through the door."

...

Evander walked into the Great Hall the next morning, his robes billowing out behind him as he took a seat next to Evanna, who was already conversing with Albus; a large book open on the table in front of her.

"James did that to you?" Albus asked, sickened at the angry purple marks on Evanna's wrists that she was attempting to cover up with glamour charms. "That doesn't make sense…He would never do that."

"Well he did," Evander said, grabbing a couple pieces of toast from the center of the table and glancing up at the fluffy white flakes falling gently above the students in the Great Hall.

"I'm sorry Evanna," Albus said softly, looking at her from across the table. "I know my apology doesn't make up for it but-"

"Thank you Albus," she smiled, pulling the sleeves of her cardigan down over her wrists to hide the last of the bruises. "It means a lot. And I'm still convinced that James wasn't acting on his own accord."

Albus just nodded, looking down to his own book that lay open on the table. "At least we get a break. Maybe it's just pent up stress."

"I am soooo ready for this break," Scorpius added, finishing off the last of his pumpkin juice. "Christmas is the best time of year. And because of the war, we get the whole month of December off."

Callista nodded enthusiastically from her seat beside him. "I was reading something the other day about Hogwarts before and during the Second Wizarding War, when our parents were in school, and they only got a week off for Christmas. It got changed after that war because McGonagall thought that students needed more time to treasure their families and spend time together."

"Best decision ever," Scorpius smiled. "Winter means Christmas, hot cocoa, no school, and most importantly… no quidditch."

"What are you reading?" Callista asked, leaning over the table so she could hear Evanna's answer over her two brothers who had begun a somewhat heated conversation about Quidditch.

"Just a book on curses. It's from the library, but Slughorn gave me permission to take it home over the break," Evanna answered, running her finger down the index page.

"Why are you reading a book on curses? Isn't that a bit dark for the holiday season?" Callista responded, popping an orange slice into her mouth.

"I have a theory that James might have been cursed or something like that, and I just want to see if it could even be remotely true," Evanna replied, glancing up at Callista. "Maybe mum and dad would know."

"You really want to tell dad that one of _Harry Potter's_ sons attacked you?" Callista questioned, plopping back down into her seat. "He'll be furious."

Evanna looked up again, a pensive look on her face. "Good point. I'll just ask mum. She'll know."

"Agreed. What time is the train coming?"

Evanna glanced at the sparkling watch on her wrist. "In about half an hour. Just enough time to finish breakfast."

"Or listen to the boys argue about Quidditch forever," Callista giggled, rolling her eyes good naturedly.

"We don't always argue about Quidditch," Scorpius teased, bumping her lightly with his elbow.

"Whatever Scorp," Callista smiled, hitting his arm playfully. "Hey Vander, is your girlfriend coming over for Christmas?"

Evander smirked, resting his head in his right palm as he stared at his younger sister. "Cal, everyone is coming over for Christmas."

"Right. Christmas is at your house this year isn't it?" Albus commented, glancing at Scorpius.

"Yeah. Mum is probably either going to have another decorating party to get ready, or she already did all the decorating in one day," Scorpius laughed. "Does she know about your little relationship Vander?"

"You have a relationship?" Albus asked, looking over at Evander.

"Don't sound so surprised Albus," Evander replied, rolling his pale grey eyes.

"He's just surprised that any girl could ever stand to be around you for more than a few minutes," Scorpius teased, ducking to narrowly avoid a barrage of grapes thrown his way by Evander.

"Well Kymber can obviously stand him," Callista pointed out, nodding towards the tall, dark haired girl making her way toward the Slytherin table.

"Stand who?" Kymber questioned, smiling as she sat down lightly beside Evander who turned to kiss her lightly.

"Him," Callista smirked, popping another orange slice into her mouth.

"Then I'll have to agree. I happen to be very able to stand your brother. In fact I thoroughly enjoy being around him," Kymber smiled, lacing her fingers through Evander's.

"I take it you're coming over for Christmas then?" Scorpius smirked.

"I'm pretty sure my parents are planning on it," Kymber replied, stealing a piece of toast from Evander's plate.

"It's time to catch the train," Evanna interrupted, standing and snapping her book shut. "We don't want to miss it because you two distract us with your word-snogging."

Evander laughed, getting up off the bench and offering Kymber his hand as the Great Hall emptied; students all hurrying to catch the train home.

...

 _ **A/N: I'm sorry! I thought of something else I wanted to ask you all. As those of you who were with me during HOW THE WORLD CHANGES know, I used to do chapter titles, not just numbers. As you would also know, my chapter titles were um... lame. So for this one I was planning on doing just chapter numbers, but if you all really really want chapter titles, I can oblige. So just let me know. Also in my author notes, I'm just going to refer to HOW THE WORLD CHANGES as HTWC because it takes a long time to write.**_

 ** _Also, I've noticed in some of the other fics I've been reading that they do chapter summaries at the top of each chapter. Would you guys enjoy something like that? Or do you just want me to keep it like it is right now? Again, let me know._**

 ** _Thank you again for reading! Please favorite, follow and review! I love reading your reviews and I would love your insights, questions, comments, etc. Thank you so much, I am going to try and update again in about two weeks. :)_**


	3. Chapter 2

_**A/N: uuuugggghhhhhh I'm already failing at the whole "quick upload" thing. I was planning on uploading so many chapters because I've been on winter recess, but um...as you can see, that didn't happen. I've had a MAJOR case of writer's block, and that combined with constant headaches, the holidays, and homework... well, you know. Enough excuses from me though! I had this written like 2 weeks ago, but I wasn't happy with it. (I'm still not if you were wondering.) I've read over it about 500 times and changed things even more than that... and it's still not quite how I want it to be. BUT. I needed to upload it anyways. So here it is! *silent cheers from my invisible fans***_

 _ **Thank you again to all of you who have been reading, favoriting, following and reviewing! It means so much! As always, I don't own anything and it all belongs to J.K. Rowling.**_

 _ **Sorry, one more thing. Well two technically. First, I already have the next chapter written and I'm finishing up with editing it right now, so I'll put it up as quickly as I can to make up for how long this one took... Second, there's a hidden movie quote in here. I won't tell you what it is, but it's from ICE AGE so if you can tell me the character who said it: brownie points for you! Please review and tell me what you think/any suggestions or theories you may have or any questions!**_

 _ **Ahem. Chapter 2.**_

Chapter 2

...

Draco's icy gray gaze remained glued on Hermione as she paced around their spacious room. She came to a stop by the loveseat and sat down lightly on the edge, clasping her hands in her lap.

"Dra-"

"No."

Her jaw clenched tightly at his blatant refusal; her eyes flashing. "Draco you can't just refuse to help him."

"Hermione did you see her wrists?" Draco growled in response. "I am not helping the boy who did that to her."

"If this is because he's Harry's son," Hermione warned, standing back up and walking over to stand in front of Draco; her wet hair dripping onto her bathrobe. "So help me, I will hex you until you cannot remember your own name."

"This is _not_ because James is Potter's son," Draco responded sharply. "Doesn't it bother you that someone Evanna has known since _birth_ ; someone who we _trust_ , attacked her at school? Somewhere that should be safe?"

"Of course it bothers me," Hermione hissed, her eyes flashing as Draco rose from his seat; towering over her. "I'm _infuriated_ that something like this happened. But Evanna has sound evidence that James was poisoned with an anti-love potion, and I choose to believe that _that_ is what propelled James into attacking her; not something else."

"Hermione, anti-love potions aren't just something you can pick up in Diagon Alley," Draco pointed out; attempting to stifle the anger out of his voice. "There is a reason they're classified as _poisons_."

"I'm not stupid Draco," Hermione retorted. "I know they aren't common. But we live in a world that's plagued by Death Eaters, and with them around stuff like that isn't necessarily hard to come by. I don't have a doubt that this was somehow caused by them."

"Death Eaters or not, I'm not extremely inclined to assist James Potter," Draco replied, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Oh you are impossible!" Hermione groaned; shooting him a fierce glare before entering her closet and shutting the door.

" _I'm_ the impossible one?" Draco muttered to himself as he walked to the bathroom that adjoined the pair of closets.

He showered somewhat slower than he usually did; letting the warm water soften the tension in his shoulders and wash away the majority of his frustrations. He took his time changing, and preparing for bed before he re entered their room. The door to Hermione's closet was still tightly shut, and at the moment, he didn't feel much like convincing her to come out. Draco pulled down the comforters and duvets on the bed, crawling under them and laying completely still; his eyes fixed on the ceiling. The silk sheets felt cold without Hermione. Why was he fighting against her on this? He knew perfectly well that he was able to make an antidote for James…. so why was he so reluctant? It wasn't like he and Potter where enemies anymore; sure they weren't the best of friends, but they always seemed to get along fine. Was it really because of their history that he was hesitant? Or was it solely the fact that James Potter had hurt his daughter?

His silent thoughts were interrupted by the sheets shifting around him; Hermione's small body slipping in beside his. He didn't say anything, and neither did she. They just lay beside each other; thinking. Eventually Hermione turned to him, remaining silent for a few moments more before she spoke.

"Do you really not want to help James?" She whispered, her voice free of all the anger and frustrations it had held before.

Draco didn't answer immediately; mulling over his answer. "I do want to help James," he finally replied, turning so they faced each other. "Just, part of me is convinced that it's not poison that made him act like that."

"You really believe James would suddenly lash out without a reason?" Hermione questioned.

"I don't know Hermione. We've known James since he was born.. you're his godmother even. I just know that stress and environments like the one we all live in tend to take their toll on a person," Draco said quietly. "That combined with what Evanna said was Firewhiskey…. well that inhibits one's rational side quite drastically."

"Draco," Hermione whispered, sitting up slightly so she could look into his eyes. "Promise me, that tomorrow we can at least talk to Ginny and Harry? Maybe they know something we don't about what's happening with James."

"Alright," he agreed, gently brushing a strand of hair from her face.

Hermione nodded, a hint of a smile lining her face as she lay back down, curling up against Draco's chest. He wrapped his arms around her, burying his nose in her curly brown hair as she pulled the duvets up over their shoulders.

"I'm sorry I was cross with you," Draco murmured into her hair; stifling a yawn.

"I know. And I'm sorry I yelled," Hermione whispered in response. "It's not your fault."

Draco yawned for real, making a disgruntled sound against her hair. Hermione smiled, snuggling down further into the bed; Draco's gentle breathing already putting her to sleep.

…

…

Evanna gripped her wand tightly, firing another hex directly at Evander, who tucked his arms in and rolled out of the way; standing quickly and returning her hexes with an added ferocity.

"You know rolling really slows you down in the long run right?" Evanna questioned, turning to block an incoming spell from Scorpius.

"But I look good doing it," Evander smirked. "Besides, I won't do that if we were actually in a real fight."

"Whatever," Evanna grumbled, flinging another hex his way.

"So you figured out what was wrong with James huh?" Evander questioned as the three siblings continued their controlled training; slowly circling each other around the cushioned room.

He stumbled as he was hexed from behind; having to drop to the ground to avoid Evanna's hex as well as the ones now coming from Scorpius. He swore under his breath, rolling over to knock his brother's feet out from underneath him before spinning around to return Evanna's attacks.

"Death Eaters aren't going to let you knock them over 'Vander," Scorpius coughed; trying to regain the breath that had been knocked out of his chest when he had crashed to the floor..

"Who said anything about them _letting_ me?" Evander responded, holding up his hand to signal Evanna to put a halt to their small battle.

Scorpius laughed, light coughs interrupting him periodically. "Well I guess you're good then," he sighed, letting his arms fall from his chest down to lay beside him on the floor.

"Are you alright?" Evanna questioned, crouching down on the matted floor beside her younger brother.

"I'm fine 'Vanna," he replied, raising himself so he was leaning back on his elbows. "Just got the breath knocked out of me. But not my brain," he added, glancing up at Evander teasingly.

"Hey. I still have a brain," Evander laughed, offering Scorpius his hand. "I couldn't be passing History of Magic without it."

"Everyone passes History of Magic 'Vander," Scorpius pointed out, accepting his brother's hand. "You could sleep through that class and still pass."

"Well that's not entirely true."

Scorpius laughed, running his hands quickly down his shirt to brush off the dust that had stuck to it when he fell. "So V… you never answered his question. Did you finally figure out what was wrong with James?"

Evanna nodded, reaching up to tighten her ponytail. "I'm almost positive that it's an anti-love potion."

"An anti-love potion? What the heck is that?" Scorpius questioned, one pale eyebrow arched as he looked at her.

"It's basically the same as a love potion," Evander answered, sticking his hands in his pockets. "Except that it has the opposite effect."

"And that means?"

"It means that instead of being increasingly attracted to me, James' feelings towards me would take a serious downward plunge," Evanna answered quietly.

"That's definitely a problem," Scorpius responded, running his fingers through his hair. "And it makes sense with what happened between you too. It seemed weird that he would attack you like that. You've been friends practically forever."

"I know," Evanna smiled sadly. "I just hope dad can help him."

"Why wouldn't he be able to? I mean, he runs a _potions company_ that has a major department revolving around antidotes," Scorpius pointed out.

"Anti-love potions are dangerous Scorp," Evander commented, glancing at Evanna. "If you don't fix it soon enough after the person is poisoned, it ends up killing them."

"Killing who?"

All three siblings turned to the doorway of the training room where Callista stood; her hand still on the door, and her phone in the other.

"Cal. What are you doing down here?" Evander questioned.

"I'm not coming to join in on your training if that's what you were thinking," she answered, rolling her eyes as she stepped into the room.

"Well duh. You're not old enough," Scorpius teased.

"I'm plenty old enough," Callista argued. "I know spells that you three have never even heard of. Mum and Dad just don't think it's safe for me to be battling with you just yet."

"Right," Scorpius laughed.

"If you two are done rowing, what did you need Cal?" Evanna asked, tucking her wand into the holder strapped to her leg.

"The Potters are here and mum wanted me to come and get you," Callista answered. "I think it's got something to do with James."

Evanna nodded, jogging to the corner of the room to pick up her discarded sweater; slipping it over her tank top. "Are they in one of the sitting rooms?"

"No, they're in one of dad's labs. At least they should be by now. They were heading there when I came to get you," Callista answered. "Oh and Scorpius? Delanie said you promised to play Princess Rainbow with her."

Scorpius' eyes widened slightly and he blew out a quick stream of air. "Forgot about that," he said, half to himself.

"Well you _are_ her favorite, so you should probably get up there so you stay in good graces," Evander teased, bumping Scorpius lightly on the shoulder.

"Very funny," Scorpius laughed drily. "Lanie doesn't play with you anymore because she claims you almost beheaded Princess Saphire Rainbow."

"I didn't," Evander groaned. "I left for a second and then came back and stepped on the doll accidentally. It's head wasn't even close to coming off. She's exaggerating."

Evanna laughed, shaking her head as she left the training room; Callista trailing after her. "I think your idea of poison is really accurate," she commented, stopping as Evanna halted in front of her.

"What makes you say that?" Evanna questioned, spinning to face her younger sister.

"Well after we talked about it, I did a little more reading and all your facts make sense. It just seems like the most logical explanation."

"You said that when I first told you I thought James had been poisoned," Evanna said. "Why did it come up right now?"

"I saw James before I came down to get you," Callista replied quietly. "He looked really awful.

"What happened?" Evanna questioned, paling slightly.

"I don't know," Callista replied truthfully. "But he looks sick. Either that or he hasn't gotten enough sleep. There are bags under his eyes, his hair looks messier than normal and he just looks about ready to vomit."

Evanna's brow furrowed and she turned and continued down the hall without another word. _James. He was sick….poisoned….possibly dying and somehow it all came back to her._ _Why?_ She carefully opened the door to her father's largest lab, quietly standing by the door while she focused on the conversation happening in front of her.

"This is outrageous. James hasn't been poisoned. The stomach flu always comes around this time of year," Harry argued, staring stonily at Draco and Hermione.

"Harry…" Ginny murmured, placing her hand on his shoulder. "It does make sense."

"But it doesn't. For this to have happened to James, someone would have to be able to sneak _poisoned_ articles into the school. That's not exactly easy to do," Harry pointed out.

"Harry, I almost died in my first year because of a plain, unsuspecting journal someone stuck in my cauldron," Ginny interrupted, glancing at Draco who nodded slowly.

"I was able to get a cursed necklace _and_ a bottle of poisoned mead inside the school, almost killing both recipients," he added, his gaze trained on Harry.

Those sentences combined put a sharp halt to Harry's argument, and he bit the inside of his cheek while he mulled over Draco argument as well as his wife's. "Alright," he relented.

Draco began explaining everything to Harry while Ginny stayed motionless beside James. Hermione had noticed Evanna and was moving towards her, but all Evanna could focus on was James. He hadn't noticed her yet, but she had a clear view of him and she was shocked to see that Callista had been right. James was extremely pale and there were large dark bags underneath his bloodshot eyes. His movements seemed stiff and almost mechanical as he talked to his mother. Hermione reached Evanna's side and wrapped a reassuring arm around her shoulders.

"Sorry you have to be down here. I tried to convince Harry, but he still is a little shaky. He wants proof," Hermione explained, searching her daughter's face.

"It's fine," Evanna replied quietly. "I can talk to him once dad is done."

Hermione nodded. "Your father wasn't too happy about him wanting to talk to you. He doesn't want you having to relive it any more than you have to."

"If talking to Harry will convince him that James needs help, then that's what I'll do," Evanna said firmly. "I just hope dad's potion works."

"Your father is very good at what he does," Hermione reassured her. "We spent most of the morning down here making the antidote. If that's truly what's wrong with James, then this will work."

Evanna nodded, hearing her father calling her name. There seemed to be a bit of warning in his voice, but she wasn't sure why. Evanna turned to look at her father only to find herself face to face with James. Her mother's arm tightened around her shoulder, but no one moved; waiting to see what happened. James just stared at her, his bloodshot eyes focused on her pale grey ones. Evanna stared back, hopeful that maybe she had been wrong, and James really was just sick with the stomach flu and he was trying to figure out how to apologize. James blinked, and in a split second lunged toward her throat, only to be thrown back by unspoken spells. Evanna took a step back, her heart racing in her chest as she looked at James. He had snapped again, turning into something that reminded her of a wild animal. Harry and Draco had grabbed James and were attempting to restrain him as he continued trying to lunge toward her. His expression seemed almost psychotic and his voice was turning coarse as he screeched her name along with other obscenities over and over in a frenzied rage. Evanna took one more look at him before bolting from the room; racing through the long corridors of the Manor, her steps echoing down the halls as she ran.

Evander found her a few hours later in the upstairs piano room; all the windows open and music filling the spacious chamber. He walked into the room, pausing by one of the windows to look out onto the Manor's gardens while Evanna continued to play. She finished the last chord, then roughly played a dozen or so random keys and released an exaggerated sigh.

"Beautiful ending," Evander teased, turning from the window to look at his sister, who was staring unseeingly at the piano keys.

"Hm," she responded, flipping her hair onto her back.

"You know, you can come back out now. James and his parents are gone, so you don't have to be a hermit anymore," Evander commented, walking over to stand beside the piano.

Evanna just nodded, placing her small, delicate fingers back on the keys. Evander watched as she started playing once again; stroking a slow, haunting melody out of the keys that flowed out of the piano like a river. She stopped again after a few minutes, biting her lip thoughtfully.

"You are so talented Vanna," Evander said, watching her face as her eyes slid over the ivory keys.

"Vander, you can play too. Mum taught us both," Evanna replied, glancing up at him.

"Not nearly as well as you can," he countered. "But there is one thing I can do that doesn't necessarily need skill. Scooch over."

Evanna compiled, a smile on her face as she slid over, allowing Evander to sit on the bench beside her.

"Still remember 'Heart and Soul'?" he teased, bumping her lightly with his shoulder.

Evanna glanced at him quickly before launching into their modified version of Heart and Soul, causing Evander to smirk for a moment before joining; his lower melody adding perfect harmony to hers. They played and played until the continuous loop of Heart and Soul ended in a bout of laughter and both of them toppling off of the piano bench. They lay on the floor in a fit of giggles; the afternoon sun flooding into the room and covering the pair in a soft golden glow.

"I miss this," Evanna sighed, letting her head fall back lightly onto the woven rug as her laughter dissolved.

"What? Lying on the floor and laughing like a toddler?" Evander questioned, glancing over at her. "If you miss it that much, play with Lanie some more. That's usually how the games end. It's actually quite relaxing."

"Well….yes, but that's not quite what I meant," Evanna laughed, hitting him gently.

"Then what did you mean?"

"Just being able to do _things_ without having to worry," Evanna answered. "Being able to just play the piano, or read, or cook whenever….and not just as an escape."

"But you _can_ do those things whenever you want," he pointed out. "But you are right about the whole escape thing."

"Duh," Evanna responded teasingly.

"All of us are going to Diagon Alley tomorrow to do our Christmas shopping tomorrow," Evander commented, switching the topic. "That will be a good distraction. Or _escape_ as you put it."

Evanna shook her head, a smile stealing its way across her features. "Now you're just mocking me," she teased, getting up off the floor. "I know when I'm being mocked."

"Do you?" Evander asked, his voice laced with fake shock. "Well you may know when you're being mocked, but do you know when you're about to get pranked?"

Evanna's eyes widened and she looked up just in time to see loads of wet snow tumbling down from the ceiling to land on top of her. She gasped as the snow fell on top of her, the cold, icy clumps trickling down her sweater and sending a shiver running up her spine. Evander, for his part was doubled over with laughter; thin tears peaking out of the corners of his eyes. Evanna looked over at him, her blonde hair slicked down to the sides of her head, and dark wet splotches appearing on her sweater. Her eyes narrowed and she bent down to scoop up a pile of snow, clumping it into a cold sphere. Evander noticed what she was doing and his laughter stopped abruptly; watching her mold the snowball. His eyes widened as Evanna drew her arm back and chucked the ball of ice at him. He ducked effectively and raced out of the room; Evanna close on his heels.

"Evander Orion Malfoy you get back here right now!" she screeched, her wet hair flipping her in the face as she ran.

"No thank you! I choose life!" He called back, sparing a glance behind him as he bounded down the stairs and raced into one of the sitting rooms.

"'Vander!" Hermione exclaimed as the twins ran into the room, skidding to a halt in front of her. "What in Merlin's name are you doing?"

Evander opened his mouth to respond when Scorpius poked his head into the sitting room. "What is- yes!" He pumped his fists in the air, jumping up and down in happiness. "Oh you did it! Wasn't it just amazing?"

Evander laughed, while Evanna and Hermione both looked incredulously at Scorpius. "You knew?!" Evanna questioned, taking a step toward her younger brother.

"Of course!" Scorpius laughed. "I'm the one who gave him the spell."

"Scorpius," Evanna threatened teasingly, her eyes glinting as Scorpius took a step back.

"Evanna," Hermione warned, closing the book that had been open on her lap. Turning to her sons, she sighed, a small smile on her face. "Scorpius, Evander, please go clean up whatever it is you did upstairs."

The boys nodded, exiting the room dutifully but it wasn't long before Hermione and Evanna could hear their laughter echoing down the halls. Hermione shook her head, turning back to Evanna. "Your brothers…."

"Agreed," Evanna sighed, plopping down on the couch. "Where's dad?"

Hermione sighed again, sitting down beside her daughter. "He had to go into work. There was some sort of mix up with an order."

Evanna nodded, glancing at the book in her mother's lap. "Mum, is Lanie down here?"

Hermione shook her head. "No, we were reading this together though. But she decided it was time for a nap, so I took her upstairs. She's most likely asleep now." Evanna nodded again, not saying anything. "Evanna," Hermione continued, looking worriedly at her daughter. "How are you doing?"

"I'm fine mum."

Hermione looked ready to argue the fact, but decided not too. "Alright."

"We're going Christmas shopping tomorrow," Evanna said suddenly, fiddling with the edge of her sweater.

"Who's going? Just the usual people?" Hermione asked, noting Evanna's quick change in subject.

Evanna shrugged. "Probably. For sure it'll be me, Vander, Scorpius, Cal, Kymber and Maxton. But other than that, I don't know who's in town."

"You'll probably be gone for most of the day then," Hermione laughed. "Kymber is her mother's daughter and she sure loves to shop."

Evanna laughed in agreement. "I'm pretty sure if someone could fit a single store into their personal closet, it would be Kymber. That girl owns more clothes than a Barbie doll."


	4. Chapter 3

_**A/N: AHA! I told you all that I would have the next chapter up soon! Looks like so far I'm keeping all of my promises for the New Year! So wahoo for me. And Happy New Year to all of you!**_

 _ **Anyways, thank you to all of you who reviewed the previous chapter, and congrats to all of you who guessed the quote correctly. :) Y'all are amazing. There's another "quote" in this chapter, but it's not a direct one... it's a play off of a quote by Dumbledore in the Philosopher's Stone.**_

 _ **As always, I own nothing, and I hope that you will all read and review!**_

Chapter 3

"Guess who?"

Evanna smiled at the warm tenor voice and the hands that covered her eyes; deciding to play along with the game. "Hm… could it be Jaxon?" she teased, turning slowly so she faced her visitor.

"I'm insulted," the young man replied, taking his hands off her eyes and kissing her softly.

"Quinn," Evanna breathed, wrapping her arms around him as he kissed her. "What are you doing here?"

"Do I have to have a reason to come and talk to you?" Quinn smirked, lacing his gloved fingers through hers.

"Well your job seems to keep you extremely occupied," Evanna responded. "I haven't seen you since your graduation last year."

Quinn sighed. "I'm sorry V. I know I promised I would come see you more, but things are happening at the Ministry, and everything is rather unsettled."

"What's wrong?" Evanna questioned, brushing his snow-dusted hair from his eyes. "You seem upset."

"Evanna, can we talk? There's something I need to tell you," Quinn replied softly, his soft brown eyes searching her face.

"Of course we can," Evanna said, tightening her hold on his hand as they walked to a snow covered bench between two of the Diagon Alley shops; brushing the pale flakes off before sitting down.

The pair sat on the cold metal bench; Evanna leaning lightly against Quinn's shoulder as they watched the Christmas shoppers hurry about trying to finish their tasks.

"I always thought you looked absolutely breathtaking with snowflakes in your hair," Quinn commented, breaking the silence.

Evanna laughed, looking down at one of her blonde curls. "Can you even see them?"

"It takes a very experienced eye to do so," Quinn murmured, kissing her again. "And I have plenty experience looking at you."

"Stop it," Evanna whispered, laughing against his lips. "You don't look at me that much."

"You just don't notice," he responded softly.

"Speaking of noticing...someone might see the two of us together," Evanna mentioned, taking her head off of his shoulder.

"You still haven't told anyone about us?" Quinn murmured, running his thumb lightly over her her knuckles.

"No I haven't," she sighed, smiling kindly at an elderly witch who waved at her as she walked down the snowy cobblestones. "Although Evander figured it out for himself."

"Well in your defense, it would be extremely hard to hide something like that from your twin brother," Quinn responded. "But why haven't you told the rest of your family at least?"

"I don't think they would take it very well," Evanna admitted quietly. "My mother especially would try to talk me out of it."

"Your mother still holds a grudge against my father doesn't she?" Quinn sighed, running his fingers raggedly through his hair.

"I'm afraid so," Evanna answered, letting her small hand rest on his knee. "She still tells us stories about the infamous Cormac McLaggen when one of us talks about going on a date."

Quinn laughed drily. "My father did leave behind some rather… strange stories for his past exploits to tell didn't he?"

Evanna nodded slowly. "That he did. However, I don't think your father's previous courting life is what you wanted to talk to me about."

"No," he admitted. "I'm afraid it's not quite so light hearted as that."

"This has something to do with Mahoutokoro and what's happening at the Ministry doesn't it?" Evanna whispered, her brow furrowed with worry.

Quinn nodded. "Yes. Because of what's happened, the Ministry has decided to start taking extra precautions with the second generation Death Eaters."

"The second generation Death Eaters?" Evanna echoed, confusion apparent in her tone.

"The children of the Death Eaters that fought in the Second Wizarding War," Quinn clarified, wincing slightly as Evanna turned to look at him.

"Almost all of those Death Eaters died in the war or are rotting in Azkaban at this very moment," Evanna retorted, trying to keep her voice down so the people passing them on the street wouldn't hear.

"They've taken that into consideration. The families and close relations of those Death Eaters are also being included in that group," Quinn replied. "It's all very detailed, and I don't have the privilege of knowing it all."

"Why is the Ministry feeling the need to "investigate" the second generation? What do they think we're going to do? Rise up and take over the world?" Evanna asked incredulously..

"V please don't take it like that," Quinn said calmly. "It's just, a second generation helped the Death Eaters get into Mahoutokoro and attack the school. They don't want that to happen at Hogwarts… or anywhere for that matter."

"This is about my father. Isn't it?" Evanna interrupted, finality lacing through her words.

"Evanna I don't have anything against your father. He's a good man. But everyone knows he was instrumental in the death of Headmaster Dumbledore, and the technique used at Mahoutokoro was the same that he used.," Quinn pointed out cautiously; watching her expression.

"My father was being used by Lord Voldemort! He wasn't doing it willingly," Evanna countered.

"Evanna, I never said that. It's just… the Ministry is going to be dealing with the second generation Death Eaters. That means you and your siblings will be included because of your father," Quinn said gently.

"My father hasn't been active in the Death Eater program since the end of the Second Wizarding War," Evanna whispered, fire glowing behind her grey eyes.

"The Ministry doesn't want to take any chances Eve," Quinn reiterated. "The only way to avoid suspicion is to denounce your father."

An eerie silence followed Quinn's words; the only sound being the noise coming from the streets of Diagon Alley.

"What did you say?" Evanna asked; her tone sharp as a freshly crafted blade.

"The only way to not be tied to any suspected Death Eater activity is to denounce your father," he repeated softly.

"And what makes you think that I would _ever_ do something like that?" Evanna hissed, her grey eyes flashing.

"Evanna, I don't want you to be caught up in this mess," Quinn explained. "I care for you."

"Of all the horrors already present in this world, you want me to add to it by abandoning my family?" Evanna repeated; astonished at his request.

"V, I'm telling you this for your own good! Do you really want to be grouped in with all the other probable Death Eaters?" Quinn questioned, grasping her hand tightly.

Evanna's kind features twisted into a sneer and she stood, ripping her hand out of his. "Of all the low-handed, backstabbing, treacherous things to do; that is the lowest of the low."

"It doesn't have to be permanent Evanna. Just until this is all over," Quinn pleaded.

"Until this is all over?! Quinn this is when my family needs me the most!" Evanna replied, tears stinging the corners of her eyes. "I can't believe you would ask me to do something like that to them."

"Evanna… I can't be with you if you're tied to the Death Eaters. I'll lose my position at the Ministry… everything I've worked for," he responded, standing to face her.

"Then _don't_ be with me," Evanna cried, not caring if the people in the street heard. "If your job is more important to you, then just leave! Go be the perfect little Ministry employee they expect you to be."

"Evanna that's not what I-"

"Don't. Just don't," she interrupted, turning her face away from him.

"Evanna please. I do want to be with you… things are just complicated right now," Quinn argued.

"Don't bother Quinn. We can't have your perfect reputation tarnished by being tied to a _Death Eater's_ daughter can we?" Evanna spat, silver tears carving thin paths down her porcelain cheeks.

Quinn opened his mouth to argue, but seemed to change his mind. A large sigh left his body, and his shoulders dropped as he took a step back; lengthening the gap between them. "I'm sorry V," he whispered.

And with that, Quinn was gone; the sound of his footsteps crunching in the snow, fading as he walked away. Evanna watched him leave; sinking back down onto the cold metal bench as Quinn disappeared into the throng of shoppers. She sat alone; silent tears still falling from her pale lashes, not noticing the crunch of snow as someone walked up behind her.

"Hey Vanna."

She turned at the sound of her name, her heart jumping slightly. "James," she said, quickly wiping her eyes. "I didn't see you there."

"Sorry," he responded, coming to sit beside her on the bench; his movements still seeming rather stiff and slow. "I didn't mean to intrude."

"How long were you there?" Evanna questioned, folding her hands tightly in her lap.

"Not long," James lied, suddenly interested in the snowflakes that had stuck to his black cloak.

"So naturally you heard the whole conversation right?" Evanna laughed drily, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

"I'm sorry Vanna," James responded, trying to think of something else to say. "Quinn is a prat."

Evanna nodded, her small laugh dissolving into tears again. "He wasn't always," she whispered, staring at her gloved hands.

James nodded, still trying to think of something that would comfort her. "Well… I know I'm not someone you want to see, but… I'm here if you wanna… talk about it or something."

This made Evanna's tears fall faster, and this time she let them; burying her face in James' cloak as she cried.

…

…

Ron tapped his foot impatiently against the marble floor; his arms crossed over his chest as he looked through the glass into the room on the other side. "This doesn't seem right Harry."

The other man sighed, rolling his sleeves up past his elbows. "It's not our choice Ron. We've just got to do it. Besides, we're just in there to make sure nothing goes wrong."

"Don't you think we could have fought against this a little more though?" Ron countered, still staring through the glass. "You're the head of the MLE Department. I'm sure we could have done something."

Harry shook his head; his jaw clenched slightly. "I don't like this any more than you Ron, but unfortunately it's not my call."

Ron didn't reply, just turned away from the glass separator and exited the room; leaving Harry alone with his thoughts. He took Ron's spot near the glass and looked through; his brow furrowed as he watched the people on the other side….

Draco ran his fingers haphazardly through his hair, sighing heavily as he watched his wife and daughter.

"Daddy… are you angry?" Delanie asked, glancing over at him from her seat on Hermione's lap.

Draco's mouth turned up in a slight smile, shaking his head slowly. "No sweetheart. Daddy's not upset. Just… tired."

He spared a glance at Hermione over his daughter's head; his eyes meeting hers and finding the same frustrations and exhaustion reflected back.

"You should takes a nap then," Delanie offered, smiling sweetly as she pushed her stuffed lion towards him.

Hermione laughed, kissing her daughter's brown frizzy curls. "Why don't we save nap time until we get home alright?"

Delanie nodded, her eyes sparkling as she pulled the lion back to her side, hugging it tightly. "Mummy can I color?"

Hermione nodded, shifting Delanie onto her left knee so she could slip her small bag from her shoulder; pulling out a coloring book and a box of multi-colored pencils and setting them on the hard metal table. Delanie beamed, immediately flipping open the book and choosing a sheet to start coloring. With their young daughter distracted, Draco turned to Hermione; exhaustion written all over his pale features.

"You do know she can't be in here when they start right?" he asked quietly, catching a stray pencil that had rolled precariously near the edge of the table.

"I know," Hermione answered, letting Delanie crawl off her lap and into the empty chair beside her. "I tried calling the twins, but neither one answered their phones."

"So what are you going to-" he started, stopping as the door to the room opened.

Hermione and Draco turned simultaneously; relief flooding Hermione's face as she saw who it was.

"Teddy!" Delanie exclaimed, jumping down from her seat and running over to the tall, teal haired young man.

"Lanie!" Teddy smiled, crouching down to wrap his long, thin arms around the small girl. "Look how big you've gotten!"

Delanie shook her head enthusiastically; her brown curls bouncing around her shoulders. "I hads a birthday!"

"Really? How old are you now?" Teddy questioned, lifting Delanie up and letting her rest against his hip.

Delanie beamed proudly, holding up five small fingers.

"Five years old! Merlin Delanie, you're growing up so big!" Teddy laughed, gently high-fiving her small hand.

Delanie nodded, her eyes widening again as she saw who still remained near the door. "Harry!"

Teddy laughed, setting her back on the floor so she could run over and wrap her arms around Harry's legs. He watched her for a few moments before turning his attention to Hermione. "Sorry I'm late," he apologized, running his hands through his teal hair. "Harvey was giving me the hardest time about leaving."

"Don't apologize Teddy," Hermione smiled, embracing him quickly. "I'm so sorry about jumping this on you at the last minute, but I couldn't get ahold of the other kids."

Teddy shrugged, his eyes twinkling. "No problem. I don't mind watching Delanie for you."

"Thank you so much," Hermione sighed, turning to close Delanie's coloring book and pick up the stray pencils. "I don't know how long this will take."

Teddy's smile fell and his features took on the seriousness that reminded Hermione of his father. "I still can't believe they're doing this. It doesn't seem…helpful."

"It's not," Draco commented tiredly, his gray eyes turned towards Teddy. "But it's the Ministry. When has anything they've done ever been helpful?"

Teddy's smile reappeared and he chuckled, rolling his eyes good-naturedly. "Touché Draco."

"Teddy," Harry said from the doorway, drawing his godson's attention back to what was happening.

"Right," Teddy sighed. "Am I still on the Manor's ward scanner?"

Draco nodded, resting his chin on his hand. "You'll be on it until you ask to be taken off."

"Good good," Teddy smiled, turning back to Hermione. "What time does Delanie need to go to bed if you're not home by then?"

"Six thirty," Hermione answered, smiling as Delanie ran back over to Teddy, letting him pick her back up. "Unless you watch a movie, then she can go to bed at seven."

"Bedtime already?" Delanie pouted, turning her head to look at Teddy. "Do I hafts to Teddy?"

"Tell you what," Teddy laughed, looking into her big brown eyes. "We will watch a movie tonight so you can stay up an extra thirty minutes."

"Really?" Delanie beamed. "Can it be Wonderful World of Wally the Wallaby?"

"It can be whatever movie you want," Teddy smiled. "But you have to promise to go to bed when it's over."

"I promise," Delanie nodded, holding up her pinkie and hooking it with Teddy's. "Can we color too? Mummy got me a new magic creatures book!"

"Magical Creatures? Of course we can color," Teddy agreed.

"Lanie look at Mummy for a second," Hermione said, putting Delanie's things back into the small bag, before taking her from Teddy for a moment. "Promise me you'll be a good girl for Teddy alright? Otherwise he can't come over anymore."

Delanie nodded vigorously; her eyes wide. "I promise mummy. I wants Teddy to come over 'gain."

"Alright. Be good okay? I'll see you tonight," Hermione smiled, hugging her tightly. "Daddy and I love you."

"Loves you too mummy," Delanie said sweetly, kissing Hermione on the cheek. "And I loves you too daddy," she added, peering over Hermione's shoulder to wave to Draco.

"I love you too Lanie," Draco smiled. "Have fun with Teddy."

Delanie squealed in delight, beaming as Hermione handed her back to Teddy. "We're gonna have tons of fun, huh Teddy?"

"You bet we are," Teddy replied, grabbing Hermione's bag and slipping it into the pocket of his Ministry robes as he headed toward the door.

"Teddy," Draco said, halting the young man's retreat. "Don't burn down my house alright?"

"Darn," Teddy sighed, glancing at Delanie. "He foiled our plans Lanie. We're going to have to think of something else."

Delanie dissolved into a fit of giggles as she left with Teddy, the door shutting tightly; Harry disappearing along with them.

"I hope she'll be okay," Hermione fretted, wringing her hands nervously as she sat back down beside Draco. "I don't think we've ever left her alone with Teddy before."

"She'll be fine Hermione," Draco reassured her, gently squeezing her hand. "Teddy's a good kid."

"Yes, but-"

"Hermione. She'll be just fine," Draco interrupted. "Teddy's her godfather and he's not going to let anything happen to her. Stop worrying."

"I can't Draco," Hermione sighed, lacing her fingers with his. "It's a mother's job to worry."

"I know," he murmured. "But worrying yourself sick isn't going to help."

Hermione nodded slowly; the pair lapsing into silence as they waited. Eventually the door opened once again, letting Harry and Ron into the room, closely followed by Carthur Benington of the Wizengamot and one other young wizard. Harry and Ron both stood in opposite corners of the large room; arms crossed over their chests. Carthur Benington and the other man took a seat, placing two identical folders before them on the table.

"Mr and Mrs Malfoy correct?" the young wizard asked, a small smile on his face. "I'm Damien Robland. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Draco nodded once, his features expressionless.

The young man cleared his throat in discomfort, glancing down at the file for a moment. "Mrs Malfoy, your surname was Granger before you married, correct?"

"Yes," Hermione affirmed simply.

"And how many years have you been married for?"

"Almost nineteen," Hermione answered.

"Were either of you married before?" Damien asked, glancing once again at the file in front of him.

Hermione shook her head, smiling softly at the young wizard.

"Big surprise there," Benington spoke; his voice laced with disgust.

"Excuse me?" Hermione asked, her smile falling.

"I am simply stating the fact that it isn't a surprise that neither one of you were married before," the older wizard replied.

"And why should that be a surprise Mr Benington?" Hermione questioned, her face slipping into the same cold expression that Draco donned.

"Think about it _Hermione_ ," Benington replied scathingly. "Your husband is a Death Eater. No one in their right mind would marry someone like that to begin with, and if you were still single by that time, it means that you weren't highly desired either. And on top of that, you don't come from a respectable wizarding family. Or even a wizarding family for that matter, so honestly, who would want to marry you besides someone who is no longer respected by society themselves?"

Hermione's eyes flashed and she opened her mouth to retort, but Draco beat her to it.

"Don't you _dare_ talk to her that way," he hissed; rage barely disguised behind his words.

"Like you're one to talk," the old wizard retorted sharply. "Your language and actions towards Miss Granger were hardly polite, let alone socially acceptable. _Mudblood_ , _filth, scum beneath your toes_ -"

"That's enough," Harry interrupted sharply. "Mr Benington, you're here to _question_ the Malfoys about the recent Death Eater activity; not verbally berate them for their actions."

Benington sneered; disgust shining in his eyes as he looked at the young department head. "Yes… Mr Potter," he finally ground out, sitting back down and letting Damien complete the rest of the interview.

...

…

The dinner table that night was augmented with extended bits of silence. Evander was at St Mungo's, where he'd been accepted into their internship program the previous month; often causing him to stay late and miss dinner. Delanie seemed intrigued and distracted making a small tower out of her asparagus and broccoli, while Callista and Scorpius held a hushed conversation about a book they'd recently finished. Evanna for her part sat completely still, staring unseeingly at her plate; her eyes still red and puffy from crying.

"Vanna are you feeling alright?"

Evanna nodded slowly, not taking her eyes off of her plate. "May I be excused please?" she finally whispered in response; a small tremor in her voice.

Hermione's brow furrowed slightly as she looked at her daughter; noticing the tears lingering on the edge of her pale eyelashes. "Alright," she said softly. "I love you."

"Love you too," Evanna replied, her voice barely above a whisper as she left the room.

Scorpius and Callista had stopped talking once Hermione had spoken; their eyes trained on Evanna. Now they stared solemnly at their plates.

Hermione sighed, placing her utensils lightly on her plate and lifting Delanie out of her chair. "Scorpius will you please take your sister upstairs and help her get into her pyjamas?"

Scorpius nodded, picking up Delanie and walking quietly from the dining room; Callista following closely behind him. Hermione sighed again, letting her head fall heavily into her hands. "Draco, go talk to her."

"Hermione I don't think she's in the mood to talk," Draco replied, pushing his plate away.

Hermione pinched the bridge of her nose; her eyes squeezed shut. "Draco, please go talk to your daughter. You've always connected with her better than I have."

Draco cleared his throat, a small sigh breaking through. "Give me five minutes."

...

 _ **A/N: Alright, before you all review and berate me for making all of my character's relationships suck, let me just say... I promise that it's not going to be this way for the whole fic. Things always get better. :) I love you all and thanks so much for reading this chapter! Please review and tell me what you think! I love reading all of your comments!**_


	5. Chapter 4

_**A/N: I'm back! Just kidding. I never left. Anyways, sorry about the length of this chapter, but I just wanted to fit everything that I needed into this one, so the next one won't be twice as long.**_

 ** _Thanks to all of you who reviewed and all that wonderfulness. Just because I have to, let me just say. I DON'T OWN ANY OF THIS. There. Now that that's out of the way... please R &R and let me know what you think of this chapter!_**

Chapter 4

"Hey. You didn't get your hot cocoa before bed."

Evanna turned her head slightly, a small smile tugging at the corners of her lips. "Hey dad."

"Seriously. You never go to bed without it," Draco commented, sitting down lightly on the bed next to her. "What's up?"

"Nothing," Evanna sighed, accepting the large porcelain mug and cupping it tightly in her hands. "I'm just not feeling very well."

Draco nodded, letting his elbows rest on his knees. "So, tell me about Quinton McLaggen," he said softly. "And not the bad stuff. Just the good, flowery stuff that usually you would only tell someone like your sister or your mum."

Evanna laughed, taking a small sip of her cocoa. "Do I want to know how know about him?"

"Let's just say I have some pretty amazing dad skills that would blow your mind," Draco teased. "But seriously. Tell me about it."

Evanna smiled, tucking her legs underneath her. "There really isn't that much to talk about," she said softly.

"Well I could think of _plenty_ of topics that I could think of to get you started," Draco exaggerated, an easy smirk on his face.

"Dad-"

"Like how tall he is, what house he's in at Hogwarts, how old is he-"

"Dad."

"Where you two met, how you two met, have you snogged, have you-"

"DAD," Evanna interrupted, hitting him lightly on the shoulder. "Stop while you're ahead."

"Hey, I was just proving that I could come up with conversation starters," Draco defended himself.

"Point taken," Evanna grinned, rolling her eyes. "What do you _really_ want to know?"

"Well for starters, how in Salazar's name did you end up with the uptight, obnoxious, Gryffindor offspring of Cormac McLaggen of all people?" Draco asked, turning on the bed and curling his own long legs underneath him so he was sitting just like her.

"It wasn't intentional," Evanna grumbled sarcastically.

"Unfortunately, it's never intentional," Draco agreed, resting his chin on his fists. "So how did you unintentionally meet the spawn of the ultra ego devil?"

"It was at the inner-house quidditch meet," Evanna laughed, absent-mindedly squeezing her pillow.

"They have inter-house quidditch meets now?" Draco responded, grimacing at the thought. "Who is the awful person who came up with that idea?"

"Headmaster McGonagall," Evanna answered. "It's not actually so bad. The Hufflepuffs can't play, but everyone else is alright."

"Hufflepuffs have never been able to play," Draco pointed out. "Neither can Ravenclaws. Gryffindors are alright I suppose. At least they give the Slytherins some competition."

"Don't let Evander hear you say that Ravenclaw's can't play," Evanna teased. "He'll go into cardiac arrest and then his ghost will haunt you forever; moaning and groaning about how you said his girlfriend can't play quidditch."

"Right. I'll have to remember that the next time I talk to Evander about his girlfriend," Draco laughed, pretending to write something down in his invisible planner. "But since your brother isn't here, let's get back to you."

"Well that kinda had to do with me. Kymber is the Chaser for the Ravenclaw team, so she was at the meet," Evanna replied. "Talking about her and Vander was like a segway into my story."

"Oh right, right. Sorry for the interruption then. The inner-house meet."

"Yes. The inner-house meet. The game was about to start so I was lacing up my boots, but one of the laces was caught on the bottom of the bench," Evanna explained, taking a sip of her cocoa.

"Those darn laces."

" _Anyways_ ," she continued, shooting Draco and annoyed look over the rim of her mug. "One of the laces was caught, so I stood up to see if that would loosen it; which first of all was a stupid choice."

"Agreed."

"And second of all, it made me fall over. Quinn happened to be walking by and I managed to tumble into him, causing us both to fall down. Pretty cheesy."

"So much so that you could make it into macaroni," Draco added, earning himself a well placed pillow to the arm.

"So I fell into him, and we both crashed; right in front of everyone. It was horribly embarrassing. Anyways, we picked ourselves up, apologized, and that was it. The game happened- Gryffindor won- and everyone left," Evanna said simply.

"Well you didn't do much talking the first time you met," Draco commented, letting his chin rest on his hands.

"Did you and mum talk lots when you first met?" she challenged, a triumphant look crossing her face when he shook his head.

"Alright, so that's how you met. Since he was at the meet, I'm assuming he plays quidditch? What position?" Draco questioned, suddenly seeming very interested.

"Keeper."

"Wasn't his father a keeper? I'm sure your mum mentioned it once, but I always seem to zone out when she talks about her previous exploits with men," Draco sighed.

"I think he was the reserve Keeper. Pretty sure Ron was the Keeper," Evanna answered easily.

"Right. Well, I don't necessarily pay attention to Weasley related things either," Draco shrugged. "So a Keeper huh? Is he any good?"

"From what I saw when we played them, yes. But, I didn't exactly go out of my way to attend the Gryffindor quidditch matches," Evanna replied; a small sigh following the end of her sentence.

"You didn't go to his quidditch matches? Isn't that what you do when you have a… thing with someone?" he inquired; albeit somewhat hesitantly.

"Yeah… it is," Evanna answered quietly. "But we didn't want anyone to know about… us."

"Ah. Okay, um topic switch. Back to happy things. Um…. is he still at school with you?"

"No. He graduated last year. He works at the Ministry now," Evanna answered, a smile creeping back onto her features.

"Oh wonderful. Another half-witted, pestiferous Ministry employee in the world," Draco said drily. "What does he do?"

"Well, he used to be part of the MLE, in the Improper Use of Magic offices, but he didn't stay there long. Now he's the Junior Assistant to the Minister or something like that I guess."

Draco snorted, obviously not impressed. "Good for him."

"Yeah I don't think I'd want to work for the Minister either," Evanna laughed, brushing her hair from her face.

"Pretty sure almost everyone feels that way at one point or another," Draco admitted, falling backwards onto the bedspread.

"Yeah…." Evanna trailed off, her smile dropping again.

Draco noticed, and the wheels in his brain spun; looking for something else to talk about as he sat back up. "Let's see… what was the best date you ever went on? With Qui or whatever his name is."

"Quinton. Or Quinn," she smiled. "Not Qui."

"Whatever. Best date. Or activity, or whatever you call them nowadays."

Evanna was quiet for a moment, a pensive look on her face as she thought. "Well we didn't go on many actual 'dates', but…. I'd probably have to say…the time we bought an outrageous amount of sweets and we ate them all in one sitting," she laughed, her eyes sparkling at the memory.

"Alright, I need to hear this story because you hardly _ever_ indulge in sweets," Draco chuckled.

"Let me finish my cocoa before it gets cold," she smiled, downing the rest of her drink and placing it on the bedside table with a satisfying thunk. "Before you get so excited, it's really not that interesting of a story."

Draco sighed, rolling his eyes. "You are soooo dramatic. Just tell the story."

"Guess who I got the drama queen genes from?"

"Fine. But I'm serious about the story," Draco relented.

Evanna snorted softly, her eye rolling almost matching his exactly. "Quinn and I had planned a movie night while we were at Hogwarts. And before you say that muggle technology doesn't work in Hogwarts; the short version is that one of the Ravenclaw's figured out a loophole. So Quinn and I planned a movie night revolving around Willie Wonka & The Chocolate Factory. We'd stashed all of our sweets sent from home, saved our Hogsmeade goodies, and even managed to convince the house-elves to donate some leftovers from dessert that night. Somehow we were able to sneak it all up to the Room of Requirement without anyone noticing and have our party. It was just me and him, but it was wonderful. I'm pretty sure we watched it almost three times through before we'd finished all of our goodies. We were sticky, high on sugar, and were having so many giggle fits that we didn't know what to do with ourselves. Honestly, it wasn't that extravagant, but I just enjoyed being around him," she finished; a sad sort of smile on her face.

"I'd say any date with food-especially sweet food- is a winner," Draco commented, his teenage boy self showing through. "How were things with Teddy?"

"Fine. I finally managed to drag Vander out of Quality Quidditch Supplies, and once we got home, Teddy only stayed for a little while before he said he had some things to do," Evanna sighed, flopping back onto her bed.

"Was Diagon Alley alright?"

"It was fine. I picked up the present's I'd ordered last week, and because Vander, Cal and Scorp were all busy, I picked up all of our outfits for New Year's Eve," she replied sleepily.

"Thanks for doing that by the way. I don't know when your mum or I would have had the time," Draco smiled, grabbing the duvet from the end of the bed and tucking it lightly around her shoulders.

"You…. you're… welcome," Evanna yawned; her eyes already closing. "Thanks for talking to me."

"Of course V," Draco said softly, walking over to the door and flipping off the lights. "I love you."

"Love you too dad," Evanna murmured in response, her voice muffled by the pillows on her bed as she curled down deeper into her sheets; Draco quietly shutting the door on his way out.

...

…

Evanna looked up from her notepad; her loopy handwriting scrawled across the many pages. She'd just spent a majority of her morning with her father, trying to help him finish up the last of the orders being shipped to the Japanese _Byouin_ to help with Mahoutokoro. It was a few days after Christmas, and the order still hadn't been shipped. They'd managed to get almost all of them completed though, and she was on her way to the Ministry to drop off the monthly reports so Draco could finish the last minute details. Evanna opted to take the floor-to-floor floo; tossing in a pinch of pale grey powder and disappearing into the brilliant green flames. A few seconds later she stepped out into the Department of International Business and Banking, or DOBB as most people called it. She looked up the room number she needed from the plaque on the wall and set off down the hall; glancing at her surroundings as she went. The DOBB was quite the exquisite department for not being very large. The hallways were lined with smooth marble walls and there were windows everywhere; the light bouncing softly off of the swirled stone. Gold banisters ran alongside the righthand wall, the gold nicely complementing the marble. Evanna took a few more turns through the department, finally coming to a large sleek door upon which she promptly knocked.

It took a few seconds, but the door finally opened; Evanna's godfather standing on the other side. "Evanna," Blaise said, a hint of surprise lining his words. "Come on in."

Evanna smiled, stepping into the large office. "Thanks Blaise. I can't stay, but I came to drop off dad's monthly business report."

Blaise nodded, accepting the file that Evanna offered him. "Wonderful. I'll put that in his file. Where are you headed off to?"

"I have to stop by Flourish and Blotts to see if they have a book I want to read, and I promised mum that I would grab her a copy of Luna Lovegood's new book as well," Evanna explained, tucking her hands into the pockets of her pale blue robes. "Have you read it yet?"

Blaise shook his head as he sat back down at his desk. "I'm afraid I haven't. I never was that big of a reader, and honestly, Magi-Zoology doesn't really interest me."

"Me neither. Mum just wants to read it because she new Luna in school I guess," Evanna shrugged.

"We were all in the same year," Blaise nodded, tapping his quill thoughtfully against his desk. "I never did get to know most of the students though. Too wrapped up in myself I guess."

Evanna laughed, glancing at her watch. "Whatever Blaise. I've got to get going, but I'll see you in a couple of days for New Years."

Blaise smiled, going back to his paperwork as Evanna left his office; shutting the door tightly behind her. She walked back the way she'd came, looking at the scenery again as she left; taking the floo once more to avoid the over-crowded lifts. She popped back out on the main level, smiling to herself as she made her way down the hallway that led to the Atrium. She passed the large cafeteria, pausing for a moment when she heard her name.

"Oh look. Evanna Malfoy decided to show at the Ministry of all places."

Evanna painted a smile on her face, her eyes flashing as she turned around. "Caspian. What a pleasure. And you have your half-brained idiot friends with you."

"Funny Evanna," Caspian sneered, finishing off his coffee, and throwing the cup into the wastebasket. "So tell me, what is daddy's little Death Eater doing at the Ministry?"

"Knock it off Caspian," Evanna hissed, her fake smile falling. "Aren't Ministry employees supposed to be mature?"

"Aren't you supposed to be imprisoned?" Caspian fired back. "That's where most Death Eaters are."

"Caspian, I'm not a Death Eater," Evanna spat. "You know it, so just…shut up."

"Great vocabulary you have there Malfoy," Caspian smirked, leaning back against the counter. "What are you? Five?"

The young man sitting at the table beside the tall, dark haired wizard turned around; his eyes hard. "Lay off her Caspian. She didn't do anything to you," he said, his voice calm, but fire raging behind his words.

"Defending your Death Eater girlfriend Quinn? Oh, wait. You two broke up because she _was_ a Death Eater," Caspian smirked cruelly, the two other boys standing by him laughing.

"Seriously Caspian. Whether you like her or not, what you're doing is just rude," Quinn replied, standing and facing the taller boy.

Caspian just continued to smirk, turning his gaze back towards Evanna. "Oh this is just pathetic Evanna. You're letting your _ex_ -boyfriend fight your battles for you?"

"I don't need him to defend me!" Evanna growled, shooting daggers at Quinn. "I can defend myself just fine!"

"Cas? Who are you talking to?"

Caspian turned his head, wrapping an arm around the thin blonde who had walked up to him; his spiteful smirk still in place. "Addy, I didn't know you were here today."

The blonde smiled, lacing her fingers through his. "I had to come in and take care of some paperwork." She smiled, turning and suddenly noticing who he had been talking to. "Oh. You were talking to Little Miss Death Eater and her obnoxious boyfriend. How dreadful."

"Adelaide. Nice to see you again," Quinn ground out, shooting daggers at the girl.

"Can't say the same about you," Adelaide grimaced. "Why are you here Malfoy? Trying to convince your boyfriend to join the darkside?"

"No," Evanna hissed angrily. "I wasn't even talking to him! And I don't appreciate being insulted by someone who doesn't even have the decency to introduce themselves."

"My mistake," the blonde smirked, not giving any indication that she was going to continue.

"Evanna, this is Adelaide Flint," Quinn scowled. "She works for my father in the Department of International Cooperation."

Evanna glared at Quinn; an inferno raging behind her pale grey eyes. "Thank you Mr. McLaggen." She turned back to face the other older students; a satisfying feeling warming her mind as they all flinched away from her gaze. "Well now that I know everyone who is insulting me, anything else you'd like to say before I make my grand escape?"

No one moved, so she turned on her heel and started walking away; but apparently Caspian wasn't finished. "Run back home to your despicable family, Death Eater." he whispered harshly to her back.

Evanna stopped, trying hard to push down the awful Malfoy temper inside of her, and failing miserably. Turning around, she walked back over to Caspian until she was standing face-to-face with him. They stared at each other for only a moment, before Evanna punched him in the jaw; hard.

"When I get sent to Azkaban for being a Death Eater, Caspian, remind me to say hello to your _mother_ ," she snarled.

Spinning on her heel once more, she left the room; haphazardly throwing a handful of floo powder into the fireplace and disappearing in a flash of green flame. The flames died around her as she stepped from the fireplace; pacing angrily in front of it as she ranted to herself about the idiocy of Quinton, Adelaide and Caspian. It took her a whole five minutes before she realized two different things. One, someone was watching her tirade; and two, she was _not_ in the Manor.

Evanna gasped, covering her mouth quickly with her pale, well manicured hand. "I am so sorry," she apologized, staring horrified at the woman who sat peacefully on the windowseat; a book open in her lap. "I- I didn't mean to… well what I'm trying to say is-"

"Don't worry dear," the woman smiled, setting her book on the seat as she rose. "Mistakes happen. You seem rather… flustered. Would you like a drink?"

"No, I couldn't possibly intrude any more than I already have," Evanna replied, her eyes still wide as she slowly started backing towards the fireplace.

"Nonsense," the woman laughed. "You already unloaded your rage in my front room, so why not at least calm down with a drink?"

"I couldn't-"

"Dear, it's been so long since I've had anyone to talk to, and you look like you could do with a little bit more unloading," the woman said kindly, gesturing for Evanna to follow her to the kitchen. "Water, or tea?"

"Water is fine. Thank you," Evanna responded hesitantly, slowly following the woman farther into the house. "Sorry to ask, but I didn't catch your name."

"That's because I didn't give it," the woman teased, tossing her long, black hair over her shoulder. "I'm Bella."

"Well, Bella, again I'm very very very sorry for flooing into your home like that," Evanna apologized, taking a seat at the counter as he anxiety over being somewhere she didn't know started to dissolve. "I really don't know how it happened."

"Don't worry about it," Bella smiled, pouring her a cold glass of water. "Did you come from the Ministry? I've had this happen a few times before, and they always come from the Ministry."

"Yes," Evanna replied, taking a small sip from the glass; the cold water sending a pleasantly warm feeling through her body.

"Makes sense," Bella sighed, taking a seat beside her on the counter; holding her own glass of water. "The Ministry isn't a very happy place, and you my dear, look anything but."

"Sorry about that. I had a spat with some… people I know at the Ministry and it didn't go well," Evanna sighed. "But you really didn't need to know that. I mean, I don't even know you."

"You're right," Bella nodded, looking at her kindly. "You don't know me. But I know you."

Evanna started, looking at the young woman; surprise painted across her features. "What- How do you-"

"Evanna Malfoy right?" Bella smiled, clasping her hands in her lap. "You look an awful lot like your father."

"You know my father?" Evanna asked hesitantly, wondering if she'd ever met this woman before… maybe when she was a baby?

"Yes," Bella laughed. "We used to know each other very well. I was very good friends with him and his family."

"So my family, or my father's family?"

"Your father's family. We were all rather close," Bella reminisced. "They were wonderful people. At least to me anyways. I always got along best with his mother; Narcissa."

"If you were such good friends, why don't I know you? My father stays in touch with all of his friends from before… at least from what I know," Evanna questioned.

"After the war we drifted apart. Your father wanted to get as far away as he could from his old life, which unfortunately included me," Bella sighed, glancing at Evanna. "I didn't know what had happened to him until I read about your parent's wedding in the Daily Prophet. And then again when you and your brother were born."

"You and my father aren't close anymore then I gather," Evanna commented, finishing her water.

"No," Bella laughed, a hint of sadness hidden behind it. "I wish we were though…"

"Well maybe someday you can be again," Evanna said hopefully. She rather liked this woman, even if she had only just met her.

"Perhaps," Bella mused, tapping her fingers against the glass. "So," she said suddenly turning back to face her. "What happened at the Ministry that got you so riled up?"

Evanna rolled her eyes; the temper in the pit of her stomach flaring slightly. "Just some old schoolmates being… idiots."

"Yes, I gathered that from your sitting room rant," Bella teased, her dark eyes twinkling. "I also gathered that one of these schoolmates was a previous lover?"

"Well I don't know if I'd put it like that," Evanna sighed, glancing around the ornate kitchen. "We were together for a while, but it wasn't anything special."

"Every relationship is special dear," Bella said kindly. "But not every relationship is good, as you've experienced unfortunately."

"Yeah… well, him and his 'friends' were accusing me of awful things again and usually I can take it, but today it just really got to me," Evanna said, her eyes flashing again.

"They accused you of being a Death Eater didn't they?" Bella asked softly, although her tone hinted that she already knew the answer.

Evanna nodded, staring at the older witch. "How did you guess that?"

"Well it's not hard to guess nowadays," Bella replied, gesturing for Evanna to follow her back to the sitting room. "It's like the Salem Witch trials almost. Everyone accusing each other just to avoid suspicion themselves."

"I guess so," Evanna responded, sitting down lightly in an over stuffed chair. "It's just… this keeps happening. People can't get over my father's past and apparently I'm expected to follow in his footsteps. It's at the point where it's just humiliating, and it's rather ironic that Caspian thinks he can say those things to me, seeing as his father was often tied to the same type of things."

"Who is Caspian's father?" Bella asked, interest seeping into her words.

"Pucey. Adrian Pucey I believe," Evanna answered. "He didn't ever know his father… he died before Caspian was born. And his parent's weren't really together before that, so I guess he wouldn't have known his father anyways."

"Wasn't Caspian's mother a Death Eater?" Bella questioned, her brow furrowed slightly.

"Yes. She ended up getting thrown in Azkaban, which is where Caspian was born," Evanna sighed, running her fingers through her hair. "You'd think he would know what it was like to be treated like this, but no. He can avoid suspicion because he never knew his parent's, whereas me and my siblings all have to deal with it every single day."

"Do you wish for a different life? A different family?" Bella pointed out gently. "We can't choose the plate that life offers us."

Evanna shook her head slowly. "No. I'd never wish for a different family or a different life…. But sometimes I wish that my father had had a different life, or a different family. Then we wouldn't be in this mess."

"If your father's life had been different, you may not exist," Bella said softly. "Your father made his choices, and now you can make yours."

Evanna smiled, glancing over through one of the expansive windows covering the wall; her eyes widening in delight. "You live by the beach."

"Yes," Bella grinned, standing to throw open the doors leading onto a large terrace. "I've always loved the sea. The smell of salt in the air, the unknown mysteries that it holds, the way the sun shimmers on the waves. Everything."

Evanna leaned over the railing, closing her eyes for a moment and letting the fresh ocean air caress her cheeks. "Sometimes… I feel like the sea is me. Calm or crazy…."

"Beautiful, strong, mysterious," Bella added, leaning next to her. "And lonely… like me."

Evanna's brow furrowed as she glanced over at the witch; feeling a sudden urge to do something completely out of the ordinary. "Bella," she said suddenly, causing the witch to turn in surprise. "There's a New Year celebration being held at the Zabini Estates on December thirty-first. You should come."

Bella laughed, her dark eyes somewhat sad. "Oh Evanna… I haven't been out of this house for so long…"

"Even more of a reason to come," Evanna pointed out. "You can get out of here for one night and go have fun. You could even… talk to my father again. I'm sure he would remember you."

"I'm sure he would," Bella said softly. "But I don't think he would want to talk to me. We have lived very different lifestyles since I last saw him."

"You never know until you come and actually talk to him," Evanna urged. "Besides. You don't have to stay the whole night. Just come for a little while."

Bella smiled, staring at the young blonde witch while she thought. "I suppose a small outing wouldn't hurt," she relented, surprise lining her face when the girl embraced her quickly.

Evanna smirked; her grey eyes alight with excitement. "I knew I could convince you."

Bella laughed, shaking her head. "You act so much like your father Evanna. It's uncanny."

"I know," the blonde shrugged. "Proud of it too."

Bella nodded, a smile still etched on her features. "You said this… celebration was at the Zabini estates?"

"Yes and everyone will be there! My family, the Potters, Zabini's, Weasley's, everyone," Evanna beamed. "We have to wear formal attire, but you forget about it once you actually start enjoying yourself."

"I would imagine so," Bella agreed, glancing at the clock on the wall back in the sitting room. "Goodness Evanna! You should get home before your parents start to wonder where you are."

Startled, Evanna looked at the large timepiece. "Oh! I need to go! Thank you again for everything Bella," she smiled, walking back to the fireplace. "I'm glad I met you."

Bella nodded, watching her turn towards the fireplace. Quickly waving her wand at the young girl, she watched in satisfaction as a pale shimmer ran down her body. Once the flames had died, her smile dropped and she angrily waved her wand at the terrace doors, causing them to slam shut; dark curtains falling over the windows. "I'm sure you won't be as glad come the New Year."

"Who won't be glad?"

"Evanna Malfoy," she answered, turning to face Rodolphus.

"Malfoy? You're still on that damn prophecy aren't you?" he accused, throwing his cloak onto a nearby chair.

"This is important Rodolphus," Bellatrix hissed, her eyes flashing. "Everyone we want dead is going to be in one spot this New Year's Eve. This is the perfect opportunity."

"It would be if you knew _where_ that place was," he grumbled, shooting her a dark look.

"I do," Bellatrix replied, her gaze hard as she stared at him. "The Zabini Estates. Should be quite the party."

Rodolphus sighed, scratching his chin thoughtfully. "I guess I'd better have everyone pull out their formal attire huh?"

"Make sure it's nice and spruced up," Bellatrix smiled darkly. "Wouldn't want to make a bad impression."

…

…

"Vanna!" Hermione jumped, startled, as her daughter stepping out of the fireplace. "Where have you been? We were expecting you home much sooner."

"Sorry mum. I got distracted," Evanna replied, shrugging her coat off and handing it on the rack.

"Where were you?" Hermione questioned, standing so she faced her daughter.

"Oh. I was… um…." Evanna started, her brow furrowing in confusion. "I don't know. I guess I just lost track of time when I was in Diagon Alley."

"Did you get the books?" Hermione sighed, crossing her arms tightly over her chest.

"Yes!" Evanna's face lit up as she reached for her bag; undoing the clasp excitedly. "Oh," she said, looking into the empty bag. "I guess I didn't."

Worry flooded onto Hermione's face and she placed her hands lightly over Evanna's. "Are you alright V?"

"I'm fine mum," Evanna said, a tinge of sadness swimming in her eyes. "I'm sorry I forgot about the books."

"It's alright V," Hermione said gently; still extremely worried about her oldest daughter. "Why don't you head to bed and try to get some rest?"

Evanna nodded, hugging Hermione tightly before exiting the sitting room, leaving her mother alone. Hermione rubbed her hands nervously together, pacing the room for a moment before following Evanna's trail up the stairs; heading to the master bedroom.

"I take it that she made it home?" Draco asked as Hermione entered the room, glancing up from the book he was flipping through.

Hermione nodded distractedly, tugging her sweater off over her hair and tossing it into a corner.

"What's wrong?" Draco questioned, watching as she slipped on a pair of lilac flannel pyjama bottoms. "Is she okay?"

"I don't know," Hermione sighed, fastening her curly hair back into a ponytail. "She seemed… distracted. She'd been gone forever and she claims she was in Diagon Alley, but she didn't go by the book shop. She thought she did, but it turns out she didn't."

"Well it's not hard to get distracted in Diagon Alley," Draco pointed out, closing the book and setting it on the side table. "And we can always get the books another time."

"I'm not worried about the books," Hermione replied, flopping down onto the bed next to him. "Evanna didn't seem like herself though. _That's_ what worries me."

"She'll be fine Hermione," Draco responded, running his fingers gently over her back. "She's probably just still caught up in McLaggen kid."

Hermione snorted in irritation, rolling over so she faced him. "I still can't believe that. Cormac was a wanker, and I can't imagine his son would be any different."

"I used to be a wanker, and you're in love with _me_ ," Draco teased, poking her lightly in the side.

" _Used_ to be?" Hermione laughed, rolling over so she could look at him. "Oh you're still a wanker. I can just stand you now."

"Good thing too," Draco smiled, leaning over so he could kiss her lightly. "Or I don't know what I would do with myself."


	6. Chapter 5

_**A/N: Fair warning... this chapter is rather cheesy. I know. I did it on purpose. I tried not to make it so fluffy and sugary that no one would want to read it; but some of you might still hate it. I don't know. We'll see I guess. Also, it might seem really... juvenile at some points. I did this because it was from a teenager's point of view. Yes, James and Evanna are 17 & 18 respectively, but they are still teenagers. **_

_**Sorry it took me a bit to upload this one. I was having some BIG TIME writers block. That was fun. So hopefully this chapter will satisfy all of you who told me to upload ASAP. :)**_

 _ **Thanks again to all of you who have been reading, favoriting, following and reviewing! You are the best!**_

Chapter 5

...

Evanna smiled to herself; lightly fastening pins into her pale blonde curls. Stepping back from the vanity, she took a moment to twirl in front of the mirror; watching her dress spin out in a fluttering arc and come back to land gracefully around her ankles. She smiled, spinning one more time just to watch her dress.

"Enjoying yourself?" Evander smirked, leaning against the doorway to their adjoining bedrooms as he fastened the silver cufflinks on his black dress shirt.

"Actually I am," Evanna responded, flashing a smile his way before turning back to her vanity.

"Glad _you_ are. I hate these damn parties," Evander grumbled, walking over to help fasten the clasp on her necklace.

"Language," Evanna teased, glancing at him over her shoulder. "Besides. You seem to have a good enough time once you're actually there."

"Whatever," Evander replied, rolling his eyes as he sat down on the edge of her bed.

"What? You don't enjoy all of the attention you get from the girls?" Evanna laughed, adding a pair of matching diamond earrings to her outfit.

"It's not my fault all Malfoy men are undeniably attractive," Evander sighed, his smirk back in place.

Evanna snorted softly, slipping a pair of metallic heels onto her small feet. "Yeah. Let's go with that."

"Is Vander claiming all Malfoy men are attractive again?" Scorpius questioned, coming into the room; Delanie resting on his hip.

"Something like that," Evanna laughed, lifting Delanie out of his arms.

"You're an idiot," Scorpius commented, glancing at his older brother.

"An attractive idiot," Evander pointed out, earning himself another eyeroll from both Scorpius and Evanna.

"Vanna can I wears your earrings?" Delanie asked, gently touching the diamond teardrops.

"Maybe when you're a little older," Evanna replied with a laugh. "Besides, you don't need earrings! You already look so pretty!"

Delanie beamed. "Put me down and I'll shows you something!"

Evanna nodded, setting her younger sister on the ground and watching as she spun in quick circles; the vibrant red material flying out around her small body.

"Is it just a girl thing to spin around once they're in a dress?" Evander commented, glancing over at Scorpius.

"Don't look at me," Scorpius laughed, holding up his hands. "I've never worn a dress or been a girl."

"It looks like a tutu!" Delanie exclaimed, stopping at beaming over at him.

"It does look like a tutu huh?" Scorpius smiled, watching as she spun around again.

"Vanna can I wear a necklace?" Delanie questioned, clambering up onto the cushioned chair in front of the vanity so she could look clearly into the jewelry box.

"Sure Lanie," Evanna smiled, shooting a quick glare at the boys when they snorted softly. "Which one do you want to wear?"

Delanie studied the ornate box, sorting through the multiple rows of chains until she found one she wanted; holding it lightly in her hand. "This one," she pronounced proudly. "It's the same color as my dress." She beamed as Evanna took the necklace from the box; leaning over slightly so she could fasten the small clasp around her neck.

"All done," Evanna grinned, spinning the chair slightly so Delanie could look in the mirror.

"It's so pretty Vanna!" Delanie whispered in awe. "But not as pretty as you," she added, turning her large brown eyes to stare at Evanna. "Your dress looks like stars."

"Thanks Lanie," Evanna smiled, glancing over as she heard footsteps hurrying down the hall.

"Vanna! Quick, do you have any perfume? Mine ran out," Callista panted, rushing into the room; her heels gripped in her hands.

Evanna nodded, opening one of the vanity cupboards so Callista could choose a fragrance.

"Does perfume even matter Cal?" Scorpius questioned, fixing his tie as he looked in the mirror on the wall.

"I don't know. You tell me mister, ' _Acqua Di Gio_ '," Callista replied, spritzing herself quickly with a pale pink bottle.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Scorpius replied, not turning around from the mirror.

"I'm sure Rose will think you look quite handsome," Evanna reassured him, sharing a quick glance with Evander behind Scorpius' back.

"You'll smell good too," Callista added, earning herself a glare from her brother. "When are we leaving?" she questioned, patting her hair to make sure it stayed put.

"Now," Hermione answered, peaking into Evanna's room. "Oh good, you're all in here. Ready to go?"

Delanie nodded, rushing over to jump onto Draco as he opened the door a bit wider. "Daddy! Look at my dress!"

"You look very beautiful," Draco nodded, hoisting her up into his arms.

"What about them?" Delanie asked, turning to look at her siblings.

"They look very beautiful too," Draco teased, seeing Scorpius and Evander's faces. "Let's get going. The sooner we get there, the sooner we can leave," he added, moving away before Hermione could smack him.

"We can't leave a New Year's Eve party before midnight dad," Callista pointed out, slipping into her heels. "That would defeat the whole purpose."

Draco rolled his eyes, leaving the doorway and heading down to the sitting room. Hermione shook her head; her curls bouncing lightly against her shoulders. "Don't worry about it Cal. Your father is a bit under the weather, and parties aren't really his thing."

"Not that he does much partying," Evander laughed, rising from the bed and throwing on his suit jacket.

"Doesn't bother me," Scorpius agreed, following Evander out of the room. "The less he parties, the more I can."

Hermione sighed, watching her sons leave before turning back to Evanna and Callista. "You two go ahead, I just realized I forgot something that I was going to take to Pansy. Tell your father I'll be there in a minute."

Evanna nodded, walking carefully down the stairs; Callista in tow. They reached the sitting room, where the boys and Delanie were waiting; the flames already roaring in the fireplace.

"Where's your mother?" Draco asked, shifting Delanie onto the other side of his body.

"She's-"

"Sorry, I had to grab something," Hermione interrupted, rushing into the sitting room. "We can go now."

Draco nodded, offering her his free arm as Evander and Scorpius disappeared into the green fire. Evanna stepped through; her eyes widening as she stepped into the ballroom of the Zabini Estates. Lanterns floated lazily around the ceiling; flickering faintly as against the walls. Streamers hung from the walls and wrapped around the wide columns; the gold and silver emitting small flashes as the light hit them. A collection of orchestra instruments sat on the dias against the wall, playing themselves and filling the grand room with lively music. Tables sat along the opposite wall, lined with an array of thin glasses and assorted treats; most of which were being rapidly devoured by the younger children.

Many people had already arrived and the pleasant murmuring of numerous conversations bounced around the room, giving the large room the feeling of home. Evanna stepped out of the way so the fireplace was cleared for more guests to come through, beaming as she noticed the tall blonde weaving her way through the crowds; a teal haired young man attached to her arm.

"Evanna! Godric you look amazing!" Victoire greeted her; her peach colored dress flowing around her calves as she walked. "Merlin I feel like I haven't seen you in ages."

"Agreed," Evanna smiled, embracing her in return; stopping when she saw the glittering diamond on the witch's left hand. "Oh my gosh Victoire! You're engaged?! When?!"

Victoire blushed, a pale crimson flooding her cheeks as she glanced at the teal haired man next to her. "Teddy asked me when I got back from Romania."

"Why didn't you tell me when I saw you?" Evanna questioned Teddy, looking at him in surprise.

"I figured Victoire would want to tell you herself," Teddy answered, grinning from ear to ear.

"I'm so happy for you both!" Evanna beamed, wrapping her arms around the pair. "When's the wedding?"

"We were thinking spring," Victoire replied, her sapphire eyes sparkling. "I was also wondering if you'd be willing to be one of my bridesmaids…"

"How could I ever say no?" Evanna laughed. "Of course I will."

"Good. I wouldn't want to force you," Victoire responded teasingly before pecking Teddy on the cheek as he left to go mingle. "So, how's school?" she questioned, gesturing for Evanna to follow her to a table.

"It's school," Evanna laughed, tucking her dress under her as she sat.

"How are you enjoying being Head Girl? I never did get the chance to congratulate you on that," the blonde commented, popping a small candy into her mouth.

"It's better than I thought it would be," Evanna admitted, running her fingers over the gold tablecloth. "I don't always like it though. I mean, people already hate me, and when they get in trouble or I tell them to do things, it seems to make them hate me even more. Not that I run my life by how people feel about me."

Victoire scoffed lightly, finishing off her candy. "People didn't always like me either when I was Head Girl, V."

"Right. Like someone could hate you," Evanna teased, deciding to try one of the candies as well. "You were basically a Hogwarts legend Vic. Head Girl, Prefect, Gryffindor Quidditch Team, fantastic O.W.L. and N.E.W.T scores-"

"Okay you can stop," Victoire laughed, tossing a wadded up napkin at the younger witch. "Your mother did more than that."

Evanna rolled her eyes good-naturedly, glancing up as Teddy came back over; offering Victoire a glass of iced-tea. "You should wear a suit more often Teddy," she commented honestly.

Teddy choked slightly on his beverage, causing both girls to laugh. "That's what I said!" Victoire agreed, lacing her fingers through his. "But he's not really a formalwear person."

"I'm more of a t-shirts and jeans guy," Teddy winked, attempting to actually finish his drink this time. "Also, Vic, your uncle wanted to congratulate you."

Victoire's eyes widened slightly. "Which uncle? I have six."

"Dunno. Heard it from the Zabini squirt," Teddy responded, offering her his hand as she stood.

"I guess I'd better make the rounds then," Victoire sighed, embracing Evanna one more time. "I need to get reacquainted with everyone anyways."

Evanna smiled, watching the couple weave their way through the crowds of people; stopping periodically to smile and laugh with whomever was addressing them. Teddy and Victoire were almost her older siblings; Teddy more so than Victoire. He'd spent countless hours at the Manor, playing games with the twins once they were old enough, teaching Scorpius to draw, playing dress up with Delanie, and spending hours with Callista in the library. Evanna and Evander had trained with him, Draco and Victoire when they'd wanted to try out for the quidditch team, he'd come to a majority of their games along with Hermione and Draco and the Malfoy siblings often dropped by his office when they were at the Ministry; hoping for one of the sweet treats he kept locked away in his desk.

Someone sitting down beside her at the table drew her out of her thoughts. Turning, she smiled as she saw who it was. "What's up stranger?" she smiled, twisting in her seat so she faced him.

"Nothing much," James shrugged, tapping his fingers thoughtfully against the table. "I needed someone to talk to and you looked in need of some company."

"Well thank you for solving my lack of company problem," Evanna laughed. "Weren't your hoard of cousins enough to keep you distracted?"

"Don't get me started," James groaned, letting his head fall back against the chair. "Albus ran off immediately to find Scorpius and I don't know where in Merlin's name Lily is. And those are the two I can stand."

"What, you don't like being around Lorcan and Lysander?" Evanna teased, tilting her head over to where the Scamander twins were attempting to sneak out into the gardens, Hugo Weasley and Maxton Zabini following a bit behind; dung bombs clutched in their hands.

"Those two are wayyy too obsessed with magical creatures for me. Also, their always into pranking," James responded, smirking slightly as they heard a pair of yells coming from the garden's closed doors.

"You enjoy pranking," Evanna pointed out, holding back a laugh as the Scamander twins rushed back into the building, holding their hands tightly over their noses.

"Yes, but the difference between us is that I'm mature about my pranks," James smirked, faking hurt when Evanna laughed.

"Sure James. Pranking in itself is totally a mature activity."

"Don't doubt the maturity level involved in a good prank," Fred commented walking past their table with Louis close behind him.

James and Evanna laughed mirthfully, continuing long after Fred and his nephew had left. The music stopped for a moment and promptly perked up when the instruments started up again.

"You up for a dance?" he questioned, looking at her.

Evanna paused, noticing the other people flooding the dance floor. She relented, allowing James to take her hand and lead her onto the floor; pulling her around in front of him and holding her hand lightly in his.

Evanna was still somewhat nervous around James. He'd been nothing but kind to her since that day in Diagon Alley, but there was something in the back of her mind that was attempting to hold her back; she wasn't listening. Evanna had admitted it to herself. The more time she spent around him, the more comfortable she grew. It was also helpful that he was rather attractive. Not in the way Evander claimed the Malfoy men were, but in his own special way that she was starting to adore. The way his hair was characteristically messy, the way it streaked red when the sun hit it, and the spattering of freckles that travelled across the bridge of his nose. Her mind wandered and she began thinking about James even more.

He looked so handsome tonight. She'd seen him in dress clothes plenty of times, but she'd never really stopped to appreciate how he actually looked in one. His suit was a deep oak color which complimented his hair nicely, and his dress shirt was as rebellious as he was; plaid. Red plaid. So Gryffindor-esque. Evanna smiled to herself, imagining the conversation Ginny would have had with James when he had come down the stairs, ready for the party. Evanna wasn't a plaid person per say, but she thought this particular plaid looked… dare she say, sexy on James? Plaid really was his thing.

And the way he was holding her…. Merlin. She shouldn't be feeling something like this for a boy like him so soon after breaking things off with her boyfriend. But she did. His warm hand on her lower back, gently guiding her through the motions of the dance felt right. Looking up at him slightly as they danced felt right. _James felt right._ Salazar almighty… he made her feel like a princess.

"Where's Evander?" James questioned, interrupting her pleasant thoughts.

Evanna scanned the crowd, smiling slightly when her pale grey gaze landed on her brother standing near the refreshments; his suit jacket draped over Kymber's slender shoulders. "Over by the food," she answered, stopping herself from rolling her eyes. "Naturally."

James laughed, glancing over to the other Malfoy twin before turning back to Evanna. Merlin he wished he knew what she was thinking. He was almost sure she could practically hear his thoughts, but he couldn't help himself. She looked like a princess in that dress; it was perfect for her. The way it moved in smooth ripples as she danced, the way it held to her in all the right places, how the silver beads across her shoulders accented her beautiful grey eyes. Godric he loved looking at her eyes. They were mesmerizing. Pools of bright liquid silver with traces of sky blue swimming through. A few of her perfect blonde curls had escaped the grip hold of the pins and were falling lightly around her face; perfectly accenting her features. She was just perfect. Merlin… was he in love with Evanna Malfoy?

…

…

Hermione laughed, watching Delanie and Pansy's young daughter make small towers out of the snacks from their plates. "Lanie, that's not going to stay up."

"You sees mummy. I'll makes it stands," Delanie announced firmly, still trying to stack an orange slice on top of a pretzel stick.

"Okay sweetheart," Hermione smiled, handing her another pretzel before turning back into the conversation.

"I tried to convince her that Evander was full of himself," Blaise commented, twirling his wine glass in his fingers. "She wouldn't listen."

"You think she would?" Draco scoffed. "Malfoy's are magnets Blaise. Once you're in, you'll never get out."

"Ain't that the truth," Pansy muttered; a smile on her face as she watched her daughter. "You'll never get attached to a Malfoy will you Aliyah?"

"No mummy," Aliyah smiled, offering her a grape.

Pansy smiled and accepted the offering. "Good. At least one girl in this world will be sensible."

"Only because Draco and Hermione don't have any boys her age," Blaise snorted, finishing off his wine. "If they did, we'd be in big trouble."

"Oh Blaise," Hermione laughed, handing Delanie a napkin as she squirted orange juice all over her small hands. "Let them be in love for right now. They won't be teens forever."

"True," Blaise assented, setting his glass down on the table. "And thank Merlin for that. Teens are a pain in the arse."

"Language Blaise," Pansy chided, glancing at Aliyah. "We don't want her to pick up bad words like Max did."

"It gave the kid character," Blaise shrugged, sharing a smirk with Draco.

"That kid of yours had plenty of character before he picked up on your swearing," Draco commented, lacing his fingers through Hermione's. "I think he's above average on the character charts."

Pansy snorted at watching Aliyah's tower fall again; her smirk dropping as her daughter sent her a fierce glare before restarting. "All of our children seem to have character. Or attitude more like it. I blame the Zabini genes."

"Like you can track that kind of thing," Blaise said, brushing his hands off on his pants. "I got your business report Drake. It's filed and documented for the month."

Draco nodded, staring into the sea of dancers; biting his cheek thoughtfully. "Glad that's out of the way. Filing those is a pain. So is running them to the Ministry."

"Well Evanna did that for you this time," Blaise pointed out, stifling a small yawn. "Speaking of your oldest daughter, where is she? I haven't seen her all night."

Draco shrugged, looking at Hermione who thought for a moment before responding. "I saw her dancing with James a while ago. I haven't seen her since though."

Draco and Blaise started, and Pansy choked on the fruit she was eating. "James. As in James Potter?" Pansy questioned, dabbing a napkin at her lips.

Hermione nodded. "Yes, James Potter. They seem to be getting along fine again."

"Good for them," Blaise mumbled softly. "Don't know if I would get along with James Potter."

"Apparently the Potter clan is rather easy to get along with," Draco sighed. "Already two of my children are attracted to them, friends with them, or both. It's only a matter of time before the rest of them are."

Hermione hit him lightly. "The Potters are good people Draco."

"I didn't say they weren't," Draco defended himself. "I just wouldn't want to be around them for that long."

Hermione rolled her eyes, pausing as she heard rumbling coming from outside the walls of the Estates. "Is it supposed to storm tonight?" she questioned, glancing at Pansy.

"Not that I know of," the brunette replied. "But you can never tell. Nature is unpredictable."

…

…

James and Evanna spun off of the dance floor in a fit of laughter; escaping the intense game of dance tag that had been going on between the younger children. The pair laughed, slowly catching their breath as they stood in a small alcove right outside of the ballroom. Again, James found himself looking at Evanna. She was gorgeous when she laughed. Her cheeks turned pink and her eyes lit up like they did when she won a quidditch game, or read something new in a book. He loved it when her eyes did that.

James was looking at her again. He had been when they'd been dancing and he was doing it again now… and she didn't mind. In fact, it made her feel… warm and fuzzy inside to have him look at her like she was the most wonderful thing he'd ever laid eyes on. Suddenly, she found herself wishing that she would have had that feeling when Quinn looked at her. They'd liked each other, but he'd never looked at her the way James was. She wondered for a brief moment what was going through the oldest Potter boy's mind; she didn't have to wonder for long.

James leaned over and softly pressed his lips against hers; sending fiery sparks shooting up her spine and through her arms leading all the way to the very tips of her fingers. He seemed hesitant at first, but when she didn't stop, neither did he. Evanna moved closer, looping her arms around his neck as she kissed him back. His lips were warm and inviting, and they hinted at just a smidge of blueberries; probably from the refreshment table. She felt one of his hands move through her hair to rest behind her neck; the other winding around her waist. Kissing James Sirius Potter was unlike any experience she'd ever had, and she didn't want it to end.


	7. Chapter 6

_**A/N: Here it is! The long-awaited Chapter 6. I'm not gonna lie, this one was difficult to write; that being one of the reasons it took so long for me to upload. Just something to note about this chapter, I did use a lot of separations, and here's why. I find that the separations in a chapter like this add to the chaos and the confusion a bit. It makes it seem more... real-ish to me.**_

 _ **So. As always, thank you to those of you who have reviewed, followed, favorited and all that. You really do have a special place in my heart, and I love hearing your comments and questions about this story. Please continue to R &R! **_

...

Chapter 6

...

Another thunderous reverberation sounded outside the ballroom, causing Hermione to jump; glancing nervously at Draco.

"It's the wards," Pansy whispered, standing so she could lift Aliyah out of her chair.

"Draco-"

He shook his head, his wand already gripped in his hand. "Just go. Find Cal and Scorpius and take them back to the Manor."

Hermione nodded turning to Delanie, whose arms were already outstretched; her snack tower completely forgotten. Picking her up quickly, Hermione glanced at Draco once before weaving her way through the crowds of panicked people; finding Scorpius and Callista before apparating to the Manor. Hurrying into the master bedroom, Hermione set Delanie down carefully on the bed before turning to the other two.

"Scorpius, you know where all the shield cloaks are? Put them on. There's plenty of food and water in the storage closet," Hermione said hurriedly, waving her wand at the windows.

"Mum, how will we get out after you lock us in?" Callista worried, her eyes wide.

"Your dad or I will come and get you. If we don't come, Teddy will," Hermione reassured her, wrapping her arms tightly around her daughter. "I promise you'll be okay."

"Mummy where's Vanna and Vander?" Delanie whimpered; her brown eyes filling with tears.

"Your brother and sister are going to stay with me and daddy," Hermione replied, gently wiping the tears off the small girl's face. "You'll be okay."

Delanie nodded, holding tightly to Scorpius' hand. Hermione cleared her throat slightly, looking at Scorpius again. "I'm warding the room once I leave. You can't get out until someone who's cleared lowers the ward."

"I know," Scorpius nodded, his features paler than before. "We'll be okay. I know what to do."

Hermione nodded, hugging them all one more time before leaving the room; locking and heavily warding it behind her. Once she was sure it was proficiently protected, she ran back to the fireplace and flooed back to the Zabini's. She arrived with just enough time to hear the wards break, and see the black smoke of the Death Eaters blast through the long windows that lined the ballroom. Immediately, spells and curses flew rampant around the large room; shrouding the area in chaos and destruction. Hermione threw up shields as she went; occasionally firing a spell to remove a Death Eater from her path as she searched for her husband and children.

"Hermione!"

She turned in time to see a bright red blast dissolving in front of her eyes; blocked effectively by a shield.

"Harry! Have you seen-"

Harry nodded. "Malfoy and the twins are over towards the left entrance."

Hermione nodded, thanking him quickly before running to the aforementioned spot; relief flooding through her at seeing the three separate heads of blonde.

"Mum," Evander acknowledged, glancing over his shoulder before turning back to Evanna's aid.

"Did you get them back to the Manor?" Draco questioned, firing another curse into the mass of Death Eaters.

Hermione nodded, adding her spells into the fray as more and more cloaked figures flooded into the room.

…

…

Bellatrix stood stiffly outside the edge of the ballroom; looking through the crumbling walls to watch the chaos happening within.

"The fireplaces have been blocked, and the new wards are in place My Lady," a Death Eater said, materializing beside her. "No one in the ballroom can leave."

"Have you found the Malfoy heirs?" Bellatrix hissed in response; the man beside her flinching.

"Not all of the heirs are present My Lady," the Death Eater replied hesitantly. "Only the eldest two."

Bellatrix was silent. Rodolphus pinched the bridge of his nose in exasperation at the young masked figure; hopefully his wife was in a somewhat… forgiving mood.

"My Lady?" The Death Eater asked, obviously not seeing the look Rodolphus was shooting his way.

"Did you or did you not receive the orders to eliminate any and or all of the Malfoy's present here tonight," Bellatrix responded, her voice flooded with ice-cold anger.

"Yes My Lady but-"

"Then why are you still standing here?" Bellatrix interrupted, pulling out her wand.

The Death Eater remained silent for once, although the damage had already been done. Finally he spoke. "The Malfoy's are unreachable. No one can get close enough to carry out your orders."

Bellatrix snarled, waving her wand as the young Death Eater fell to the ground; limp and unmoving. "So much incompetence in one room. What a shame."

"Bella, you'll kill your own recruits," Rodolphus pointed out, standing stoically by her side.

"Did you not hear what I said about incompetence?" Bellatrix hissed. "Beside that, the smart ones will know how to get out. And the no matter how many shields the Malfoy's hold up, there's only so much you can do."

…

…

"Draco where are the twins?" Hermione yelled, kicking a Death Eater off of her.

"I have no idea," Draco growled, his eyes flashing as he fired a barrage of spells at his attacker.

…

…

"Vanna!"

She could hear him, but she didn't have a clue where he was. She couldn't see, and there were so many voices that she couldn't pinpoint exactly where his was coming from.

"Vander, we need to get back to mum and dad," Evanna yelled, trying to weave her way around the fleeing people to find her brother.

Death Eaters were retreating as quickly as they could; the ballroom collapsing rapidly around them. As soon as she had realized what was happening it was too late. The ballroom was covered in smoke, dust and falling debris; blocking all sight around and in the room. She was alone, and had no way of knowing where her family was, or even if they were still alive. Evanna picked her way around the fallen bricks from the ballroom, attempting to get back to the last place she had seen her parents. A thunderous crash sounded from above her, and the last thing she remembered seeing was Evander and James, crawling out from under one of the partially collapsed tables and a pale flash of green. Then everything went black.

…

…

Evander coughed, the dust from the debris clogging his throat. James stumbled over the leg of an overturned table, landing flat on his chest. "Where did you say you saw her?" he questioned, picking himself up off of the floor.

"She was just over there," Evander said, desperation slipping in between his words. "The chandelier was falling, and I saw her on the other side."

"Evander, it could have been anyone," James pointed out.

"You don't think I recognize my own sister?" Evander snarled, his wand tightly clutched in his hand.

"I never said that," James amended, quickly. "There were just so many people leaving…"

Evander shook his head, turning slightly as Kymber ran up; ditching her heels as she went. "Oh Merlin. At least you two are still around. I can't find anyone."

"Did you see Evanna?"

Kymber gasped, seeing Evander's torn shirt; blood trailing down his arm. "Vander, you're hurt."

He shook his head, staring intently at her. "Doesn't matter. Did you see Evanna?"

Kymber sighed. "No. And as far as I can tell, most of the Death Eater's are gone. The ones that are still around are out of commission."

Evander had stopped listening as soon as Kymber had mentioned not seeing Evanna. He needed to find her. There was an awful feeling in his gut; just like there had been when he'd found her and James in the corridor. He clambered up onto a fallen chunk of the ceiling, trying to get a better look around the demolished room. Nothing. He turned at hearing his name; seeing the adults run back into the room. He noticed that James' father was missing as well as his mother. He was about to turn and go down to them when a flash caught his eye. _The chandelier._ He scrambled down the side of the debris hill, sprinting towards the shattered ceiling ornament. He distantly heard his father swear as he started after him; but Evander didn't stop. He slowed when he neared the chandelier; afraid of what he might see.

…

…

"Shit," Teddy muttered, jumping down the debris pile after Draco; his hair shifting between shades of gray. "What if we're too late?"

He got his answer as the pair skidded to a halt; his throat constricting at what he saw. Evander had collapsed onto the ground, staring unseeingly down at his lap; Evanna's limp hand clutched tightly in his.

…

…

Hermione burst into the room, Harry and Ron close on her heels. "Did they find her?" she questioned, looking pleadingly at Ginny.

"I don't know Hermione," Ginny replied sadly. "They-"

She was interrupted by an unearthly cry that reverberated eerily around the remains of the ballroom. Her eyes widened, filling with glistening tears as she ran towards the source of the sound; Harry only a few steps behind her. Hermione ran towards the cries; her feet hitting the ground as if they were made of lead. She rushed down the pile of debris, stumbling into Draco's open arms. Burying her face in his chest, she refused to look; haunted by the raw cries coming from her eldest son.

Draco felt the front of his robes dampen, soaking up the tears that fell from Hermione's eyes; clutching her tightly to him as his mind tried to wrap around what had happened. He could hear the ragged breathing of Teddy and his godfather, standing close behind them. Draco felt Hermione's head turn, and he watched the light leave her eyes as she looked at their children.

Evander was hunched over his sister's still form, his forehead pressed against her shoulder as he cried; his body wracked with uncontrollable sobs. Evanna's hand was still clutched in his, as if her small fingers provided a physical lifeline that he could hold to; as if somehow she would come back if he just held on. He couldn't believe it. He _wouldn't._ Evanna would be fine. They'd get her to St. Mungo's and everything would be alright. There were no marks that indicated she was gone. Her dress was torn in places, and she had numerous scrapes and cuts; most from the shattered chandelier. But none of those were life threatening. Evanna was going to wake up. _She had to._

Hermione's small body shook; her legs giving up as she sank to the damaged ground. She could hear footsteps nearing, and she vaguely heard Draco's voice hollowly addressing someone as his arms withdrew from around her; quickly replaced by Harry's. She sat and cried for her daughter, Harry gently holding her the whole time. Then suddenly Evander was on his feet, screaming at Draco; furious tears cascading down his face. Katie and her healers had come, pushing Evander into a crazed, sorrow-induced rage. He was yelling at the top of his lungs, flipping his angered cries between his father and the healers.

 _She's not dead!_ He insisted, over and over; throwing the healers off of Evanna. Draco had grabbed his son, attempting to pull him away from the scene, but Evander wouldn't stand for it. His years as a beater had made him slightly stronger than his father, and his age gave him an extra advantage; it wasn't hard for him to overpower him and returning his anger onto the healers. Draco restrained him again after a few moments, Teddy coming to his aid; the pair slowly dragging Evander away from the healers as he struggled against them. Teddy cried out in pain as Evander's elbow jammed into his chest; feeling multiple ribs crack and shatter beneath the desperate blows from the younger wizard.

"They're just trying to help Vander," Teddy ground out, his teeth clenched in pain.

Evander attempted to tear himself away, jerking his arm from Teddy's grasp; screaming as it dislocated and dropped limply by his side.

Hermione watched the whole scene, her hands shaking as silent cries fell from her lips. Harry still held her tightly, trying to tell himself that everything would be alright. Hermione's cries eventually turned into wracking sobs; her lungs screaming for air as her heart shattered into a million pieces.

…

…

Draco sat in the Trauma Center in St. Mungo's, his breathing labored and uneven as the Healer's filed around him. He didn't register the needle being inserted into his arm until the calming potion was flowing through his veins. Ironically enough, he recognized it. He'd been there through it's production, since it came from his labs. Immediately he felt the effects on his body; however his mind remained in its agonized and tortured state. He stood once he was cleared, and walked absent-mindedly down the hall to Teddy's room. Draco knocked softly on the door, entering once he heard the young man's voice.

"Hey Drake," Teddy rasped, his voice slowed with anesthesia.

"Hey Teddy," Draco said softly, sitting on the edge of the hospital bed. "How are you feeling?"

Teddy laughed, wincing. "Better now that they put these miracle drugs into my system."

"I'm sorry about Evander," Draco murmured.

"Yeah that kid of yours sure has some fire in him," Teddy sighed, his eyes glassy as he looked at the older wizard. "But I can't blame him for what happened; everyone deals with loss in a different way. Besides, I looked much worse after spending a weekend in Romania with Victoire, Charlie Weasley and his beloved dragons."

"Well you don't look amazing right now," Draco pointed out hollowly. "But your hair is brown. I don't think I've seen it like that for a long time."

"It doesn't happen very often anymore," Teddy responded tiredly. "Now it only turns brown when I'm hungover or under heavy medication."

"You look more like your father this way," Draco replied with a small smile.

"So I hear," Teddy nodded, something different flashing behind his eyes. "Sometimes… I wish he'd lived long enough for me to know him. Same with my mum. I know they died for a good cause, but it's hard. Although if they were still alive, a lot of things would be different. I just… have to tell myself that everything happens for a reason, and Merlin knows someone has a bigger plan that we're all somehow part of."

Draco nodded slowly, his posture jerky and stiff as he stood. "I should… see if Hermione is awake," he said quietly, running his fingers shakily through his hair.

"Take care of yourself Drake," Teddy replied, his eyes clearing for a moment as he stared at the blond wizard.

Draco didn't respond, simply exiting the room without another word or acknowledgement of what Teddy had said. He slowly walked back down the stark white hallway toward Hermione's room, with his eyes downcast; stopping only when he felt someone gently touch his arm. Draco looked up, a sob catching in his throat.

"Andromeda," he choked, his haunted grey eyes meeting her glistening blue ones.

She didn't say anything, just reassuringly wrapped her arms around him; pulling him close. He returned her embrace, clutching her tightly; for a moment feeling as if he was back in the comforting arms of his own mother. It was then that Draco Malfoy finally broke down and cried.

…

…

She looked as if she could be asleep; peacefully dreaming in a world far away from the war-torn one that she had recently left. He hated it. Merlin how he hated it. Evander didn't want to look anymore, but he couldn't seem to pull his eyes away from her still body; shrouded in pale blue silks and small Agapanthus flowers. Seeing Evanna there… pillowed into that coffin, it seemed like he was burying something more than just his sister; he was placing half of himself in that coffin with her.

Kingsley didn't talk for long. Saying a few words about Evanna Malfoy, and how she would survive by those who still stood on this earth and some other crap like that. Things people wanted to hear at funerals, but actually did nothing to ease the stabbing pain that reverberated through everyone who actually cared. Funny how that worked out. All through your life people pretend to like you, pretend to care, and then when it comes down to it, there's only a select few that would take a bullet for you; not be on the trigger end of the gun.

Teddy was there, standing beside Andromeda, holding tightly to Victoire's pale hand; his hair an abysmal shade of black. Evander felt a piercing thread of guilt run through him every single time he looked at Teddy Lupin. The older boy had forgiven him immediately, but Evander couldn't help but feel ashamed about what he had done to the person who had acted like an older brother to him for as long as he could remember.

The Potter's were in attendance, as well as every Weasley you could think of. Even Charlie and Percy had come home, so they could be at Evanna's funeral. Evander assumed without looking around, that the rest of the Order had shown up; although at this point, he couldn't care less. Why were they here? It wasn't like they all had a personal connection with his sister. Some of them only knew the twins as the oldest children of Draco and Hermione. Nothing more. The Zabini's were there though; standing close to the remaining members of the Malfoy family. Pansy and Blaise had been part of the twins' lives for as long as Evander could remember; making him feel almost as if he were an honorary part of their family. But no matter how much they cared for him, and he for them, they _weren't_ his family.

His family stood solemnly around him; one member short. Scorpius stood beside Hermione, his eyes downcast so people wouldn't see the silent tears falling from them. Callista stood beside him with her hands clasped, her eyes still red and puffy from crying; standing so close the two could have been mistaken for one person if you were just looking at their shadows. Except there weren't shadows today. Just rain. It had been drizzling for most of the morning; people's expensive wool cloaks scattered with the tiny glistening droplets. They could have simply charmed them so the water would roll right off, but no one seemed to have the heart. The only dry area was directly around Evanna's casket; her pale blonde curls remaining perfectly positioned around her porcelain face.

Delanie, who was still too young to fully understand what had happened, was sitting quietly in Andromeda's arms; her small forehead furrowed as she looked around at the different people. Evander for his part, stood stiffly beside his father. To the inexperienced eye, the two Malfoy's would look exactly the same. They couldn't have been more wrong. Sure in physical appearance, Evander and Draco looked almost identical; now something much deeper separated them. They had never been as close as Evanna and Draco had, but now there was a gaping chasm between the two. Draco had lost a child, Evander had lost his sister. Draco still had Hermione. Evander felt as if his soul had been torn in half the second he had seen Evanna's body on the floor. Evander was like a walking corpse without her. He couldn't explain it, but she'd been there for every moment of his life, and he for hers, and now that she was gone it was as if the part of him that was still here wanted nothing more than to crawl into its own coffin and die beside her.

Kingsley finished talking, stepping down from the small podium that had been erected as the people surrounding the coffin slowly raised their wands; the tips faintly glowing. The Malfoy's slowly stepped forward as the lid to the coffin closed; each silently casting protection spell over the smooth metal case. As soon as it had started, the funeral was over; Evander watching the small etchings appear in the long marble plaque that covered her grave. _Evanna Marie Malfoy_ ; the dates listed below her name. Callista was crying again, and Scorpius seemed to be fighting not to; Delanie seemingly intent on wiping away each tear that trailed down Andromeda's cheeks. Hermione had sunk to the rain covered ground, silent sobs wracking her body; burying her face in Draco's chest as he knelt beside her, his eyes shut tightly against the tears that threatened to spill over his pale lashes.

This was it. This was how hope died. Not in a loud, noticeable bang, but with a soft whimper; with only a select few around to witness it.

...

 _ **A/N: PLEASE DON'T KILL ME! I'm sorry I killed Evanna. I really am. It physically hurt me to kill her, but it's critical for the story. I love you all, and please don't stop reading and reviewing just because I killed someone... I promise the story will still be amazing. :) Love you all!**_


	8. Chapter 7

_**A/N: Hey all! Goodness, it's been so long since I updated. Sorry... :/ I had some serious writer's block for a while, and then life got crazy because SURPRISE I'm graduating! So there's that.**_

 _ **Anyways, again, I'm really sorry for not updating sooner... I'm sure you all hate me. However, I tried to make this chapter full of good stuff to try and make up for it.**_

 _ **Thank you all again for sticking with this story and giving it such good reviews! I am working on a new fic as well so it should be ready to upload once this one is done.**_

Chapter 8

...

...

Evander sat alone in the library; an open book placed on the table in front of him. To the normal passerby, it would seem as if the eldest Malfoy heir was studiously working through that day's homework. Evander however, was doing no such thing. He'd finished the homework hours before, and was currently writing illegible scribbles across his parchment; making it completely unusable. Honestly, he didn't care much. The library was his only escape from everything. His peers had become unbearable to be around with their mocking and sympathetic looks, the common room felt like it was slowly suffocating him, and Ministry officials flooded the corridors. But his library… this was the last little bit of Evanna he had left.

Unfortunately, his silent reverie was compromised by Madame Pince. "Mister Malfoy, it's high time you got back to your common room."

"Yes Madame Pince," he murmured, sliding the book back onto the shelf, and gathering his belongings on his way out. If only that had been the end of his horrid evening; but apparently, Merlin had other ideas.

"Oh look," someone sneered from behind Evander, making the hairs on the back of his neck bristle slightly. "Malfoy's come out of his little cave to join the rest of us."

Evander set his jaw and kept walking, determined not to let it bother him. The last thing he needed right now was a fight with another stupid Gryffindor.

"Silent treatment? That's low… even for you Malfoy," the boy said, stepping into Evander's path; his smug gaze shooting through the blond Slytherin.

"I'm just going to my common room Thomas," Evander replied stiffly. "I'd appreciate it, if you let me pass."

"Feisty today aren't we?" Thomas sneered, multiple other Gryffindors stepping out of the shadows behind him. "Godric. You'd think after Evanna's death, you'd be all tame and calm."

"Move, Finnegan," Evander hissed icily, his grey eyes boring into the other boy's.

"Why should I, Malfoy?" Thomas scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest. "What makes you think I want to listen to a slimy Slytherin, who killed his own sister?"

Evander stopped cold; rage boiling underneath his skin as Finnegan's words seeped in. "What… did you just say?" he whispered.

"Let me repeat myself, so your small mind can wrap around it," Thomas sneered cruelly. "Why should I listen to a Death Eat-"

Finnegan never finished, seeing as Evander's fist connected roughly with his jaw; sending him crashing into the wall behind him. "Don't you _dare_ ," he snarled, kicking Thomas sharply in the ribs.

"I shall do what I want," Thomas laughed, sending his feet bowling into Evander's chest. "And who are you to stop me?"

"I'll kill you Finnegan," Evander hissed, grabbing the younger boy and throwing him against the wall; feeling a disgusting burst of pleasure at hearing his skull crack against the stone.

"That's exactly the kind of talk one would expect to hear from a _Death Eater_ ," Thomas grinned, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth; whipping out his wand and sending a spell pealing through Evander's shoulder.

Evander made an unintelligible noise in his throat and lunged at the other boy; a bright green blast shooting from his wand.

The light exploded with a bang; rebounding against the walls and disappearing in a vibrant shimmer. "That's enough," Teddy hissed, lowering his wand and grabbing Thomas by the collar of his robes. "Get back to Gryffindor Tower Finnegan, and _don't_ let me catch you out here until class time tomorrow."

Thomas' features screwed into a sneer, but he stalked off to the Tower nonetheless; not wanting to disobey a Ministry official.

"The rest of you are free to go back to your common rooms. That is _not_ a request," Teddy said, scanning the eyes of the crowd gathered around the hall when no one made to move.

Slowly, the crowd dispersed, until the only two standing there were Teddy, and Evander. " _You_ ," the older boy snarled, his eyes flashing as he looked at the eldest Malfoy child. "You and I, are going to have a chat."

"I'd rather not," Evander sneered, shoving his wand back into his pocket; ignoring the throbbing pain in his shoulder.

"At this point, you don't have a choice," Teddy responded, his hair still flaring a vibrant scarlet. "I could have you expelled Evander. You just fired the killing curse at another student."

"You heard what he said-," Evander responded, his voice breaking. "He deserved it."

Teddy sighed, running his fingers through his hair as it faded back into its natural teal color. "No one deserves that Vander. No matter what they do, I don't wish that on anyone."

"Well I do," Evander whispered, his grey eyes flashing.

Teddy shook his head. "Watch yourself Evander," he cautioned. "The Aurors here already have their eyes on you because of your father. You don't want to give them another reason to mistrust you."

"Like I give a crap Teddy," Evander sighed, depression blanketing his tone. "The Ministry can think what they want."

Teddy did respond, just looked at the blond boy he considered his brother; feeling the regret and sorrow rolling off of him like waves on the ocean. Evanna's death had obviously affected him more than he cared to admit, but Teddy wasn't about to let it destroy him; he'd seen that happen in far too many people.

"Is your shoulder alright?" he questioned, nodding towards the angry red gash he could see through the Slytherin's robes.

"It's fine," Evander replied stiffly, staring solemnly at the older boy. "I'm going back to the common now if you don't mind."

Teddy nodded, then on an impulse, stopped the blond once again. "Vander… no more fights alright?"

Evander gave him something barely recognizable as a nod, before making his way down the hall; not looking back. As he wound his way through the long, twisting corridors, he let his mind wander; thinking of the times when he and Evanna had roamed these exact halls… back when they had nothing to worry about; and both of them were still alive.

...

...

" _I think we're on the fourth floor," Evanna whispered, peeking out from behind Evander's back._

" _And your point is?" he replied, glancing at her over his shoulder; a smirk lining his pale lips._

" _I don't think we're supposed to be here," Evanna said slowly, glancing around the dimly lit hall. The pair had never been on this floor before, and it was giving her the odd sense that something was crawling over her skin… like ants._

" _What? Are you scared of the dark now?" Evander joked, his gray eyes sparkling._

" _No," she shot back, poking him sharply in the ribs. "But I think you are. You followed me up, remember?"_

" _I didn't follow you," Evander snorted, stepping off the staircase before it could move away. "I went first because you were too scared!"_

" _What a gentleman," Evanna smiled, rolling her pale silver eyes. "Besides, it_ was _my idea, so really, I should get all the credit right?"_

" _You wish," he teased, running off down the dark hall; disappearing into the shadows._

 _Evanna's eyes widened, a small pang of fear slicing through her stomach. "Vander?" she whispered, walking slowly down the hall; her hands stretched out in front of her. "Vander where are you?"_

 _She stopped and listened, not hearing anything except for the soft crackling of the torch at the end of the hall. It was around this moment that Evanna realized this particular hall didn't have any paintings lining the long stretch of wall. "Vander this isn't funny," she said, a little louder than before, starting to panic. "Vander you can't leave me up here by myself!"_

 _A hand covered her eyes and she screamed, but it too was stopped by a hand. "It's just me," Evander laughed quietly, removing his hands._

 _Evanna screamed again in outrage, kicking him sharply in the shins. "Evander Orion Malfoy, that was_ not _funny!"_

" _Shshhh," Evander interrupted, grabbing her hand and pulling her over toward the light. "You can't scream at everything. Seriously, calm down. We can't get caught up here… it's after hours."_

" _Now who's scared?" Evanna teased, her momentary anger forgotten as she took off down the hall. "Last one to the common room is a Hufflepuff," she called back; her blond locks disappearing around the corner as she took the stairs two at a time._

 _..._

 _..._

Evander stopped outside the black metal door of the common room, his mind drifting back to the present… where he was no longer a small insignificant third year, and Evanna… Evanna was dead. He cleared his throat softly and pulled open the large door; stepping into the common room. It was empty… or almost empty.

"Evander. Are you… Are you okay?" Arabella questioned, rising from her seat on the couch.

"Fine," Evander replied, shifting somewhat uncomfortably on his feet. "Sorry to interrupt."

"No!" Arabella, stopped him, glancing quickly behind her. "Addy and I were just finishing up."

The girl behind Arabella stood, picking up her bag and slinging it over her shoulder. "We're all done Evander," she smiled, quickly embracing Arabella, before turning to the blond. "Nice you see you by the way."

"Good to see you again Adelaide," Evander murmured, watching the older girl exit the common room.

"Vander… is your arm alright?" Arabella questioned softly, staring at him with worry. "You weren't fighting again were you?"

"Does it matter?" he sighed; feeling his arm start to pulse in small waves of pain.

"You missed practice again," she replied, a slightly disappointed look on her face. "Why?"

"Lost track of time," Evander responded with a shrug. "I had multiple different scrolls I had to finish."

Arabella nodded, knowing perfectly well that he was lying to her. "Well, your presence is sorely missed. The back-up chasers are nowhere near as good as you."

"I'll keep that in mind Bella," Evander nodded, a hint of a smile gracing his lips.

"Good," she agreed. Evander turned to walk down to the dormitories when she remembered something. "Vander, wait!" The blond turned; looking at her expectantly. "Kymber came by and asked to meet you."

"Where?" Evander questioned, his gaze piercing into the younger girl.

"She just said you'd know where."

Evander nodded, turning and heading toward the door once more, but Arabella stopped him. "Vander… it's after hours. Are you really going to go?"

Evander stopped, and Arabella could see a small smirk forming; just like the ones he used to don when Evanna was alive. "I guess I'll just make sure I don't get caught right?" he replied, before exiting the common room and slipping quietly down the hall.

...

...

"Kym."

The dark-haired Ravenclaw spun on her heel; visibly relaxing when she saw Evander leaning against the doorway. "Hey… I didn't know if you were going to show up."

"Why wouldn't I?" he murmured, his silver eyes illuminated in the pale moonlight shining through the walls of the greenhouse.

"It's hard to tell lately," Kymber shrugged, crossing her arms over her chest. "Some days you seem like yourself, and other days you're a completely different person."

"Kymber… " Evander sighed, running his fingers slowly through his hair; sending it into a state of disarray.

"I know Vander," she replied, automatically beginning to pace. "You're still struggling with what happened… and that's okay, but sometimes it just seems like you aren't really here. Like you're going through the basics… almost like you'd rather be dead than be here, and it just-"

"Kymber," he interrupted, putting his hands on her shoulders to prevent her from pacing. "You're rambling."

"Sorry," she whispered; her shoulders drooping slightly. "I just… don't know how to help you… but I want to."

"There's nothing you can do Kym," Evander murmured, letting her go. "I just have to work through this on my own."

His words made her heart sink. Just hearing the sadness and defeat in his tone, where it once had been confident and full of smugness passed down from his father, killed her inside. She didn't know how to help… she'd never lost a sibling or family member, and she couldn't relate to how he was feeling. "Vander-"

"Shh," he stopped her, holding up his hand.

"Seriously, that's not going to-"

His hand quickly covered her mouth and soon he was pulling her down behind a stack of gardening boxes; his mouth set in a firm line. He held his hand over her mouth, his other one wrapped around her waist, for a good minute or so, before he removed his hand; putting one finger to his lips to signal that she still needed to be quiet. Kymber started to shake her head in confusion, when the greenhouse door opened and someone walked in. Her eyes widened, and she glanced at Evander, who shook his head; motioning for them to stay hidden.

"It doesn't look like there's anyone in here to me," a male voice drawled, sounding completely bored.

"I could have sworn I heard someone," a second person replied, this one obviously female.

"Everyone is in their dorms," the boy replied with a scoff. "I don't know what you're so worried about Dellie."

"We could get in serious trouble if we're caught," the girl hissed; stopping right in front of the boxes the pair were hidden behind.

"Like anyone suspects anything," he sighed, shutting the greenhouse door. "You worry too much."

"If I didn't worry, we would always be in trouble Cass," she pointed out. "I worry for the both of us."

"You shouldn't," he murmured.

Ignoring the warning looks from Evander, Kymber peaked through the slots in the garden boxes; trying to see how was in the greenhouse with them.

"Now, why in Merlin's name did I need to meet you here at this hour?" the girl questioned.

"I got a message," her companion replied, his tone suddenly hard and serious. "From Rodolphus."

"Lestrange?" she whispered, shock seeping into her words. "He contacted you?"

Kymber's eyes widened, and she turned to look at Evander. _Death Eaters_ , he mouthed, his silver eyes full of anger and hate.

"Yes," the boy replied, sounding rather smug. "Bellatrix knows we're in the castle, and she wants us to find a way in for the rest of them. We need to start looking."

"What about… no. Nevermind," she started, walking to the exit.

"What Dell?" he questioned, genuinely interested for once.

"Do you think Evander would help us?" she questioned, sounding unsure of herself.

"Evander," her companion repeated, hollowly. "As in Evander Malfoy."

"Yes."

Kymber glanced at Evander again, her stomach doing flips and turns. He had paled considerably, if that was even possible; though his eyes still shone with untamed revenge and hatred. She placed a hand gently on his knee, before turning back to the conversation.

"I don't think even Bellatrix herself could turn Evander Malfoy to our side," the boy scoffed. "Do you need to be reminded who killed his sister?"

"No…" Dellie choked, sounding as if she was close to tears. "Please don't talk about that."

"We were doing our job," he hissed. "If we want to stay in good graces with the others, we have to do what they tell us."

"I know," she replied, clearing her throat. "It was a stupid idea to think he'd help us anyways."

"We can do it ourselves," he rationed. "Let's go."

The pair left, but it took a considerable amount of time before Evander and Kymber moved from their positions. Evander's shoulder was screaming, but it was partially masked by the anger rolling through his system; boiling his blood. _Death Eaters… in the school. And not just any Death Eaters. Ones that had been there the night Evanna died. He wanted them dead_.

"Vander… we need to get out of here," Kymber whispered, her eyes still wide with fear. "What if they come back?"

Evander nodded, grabbing her hand and carefully opening the greenhouse door; peeking around the corner to make sure no one was waiting for them. Seeing nothing in the dark, he pulled her out behind him and the pair rushed back to the castle; looking behind them constantly, waiting for a bright green flash to split the darkened sky. Out of breath, they stopped by the doors of the Great Hall; Evander still clutching her hand tightly.

"What do we do?" Kymber whispered. "There's Death Eater's in the castle."

"We can't do anything right now," Evander replied, his voice shaking slightly with anger. "We don't even know who they are. I couldn't see the insignia's on their cloaks. We have _nothing_ to go off of."

Kymber tried taking a few deep breaths; the air rattling in her chest as she glanced up the stairs toward Ravenclaw Tower. "Evander… I'm scared."

Evander pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her; still seeing red at the edges of his vision. "I know," he whispered into her hair, holding her tightly.

Kymber nodded, not hesitating when he removed his arms from around her shoulders and guided her down the hall toward the Slytherin common room; the pair disappearing into the dark.


	9. Chapter 8

_**A/N: Wow! First of all, I just have to thank Princess Miya. Your reviews are always so kind and they just light up my day! Thank you so much! Next, I promise I really am trying to update this story as fast as I can so that I don't keep you all waiting any longer than you already have been. I should be done with it... probably in the next month since this month is almost over. Last piece of good news, I'm already working on the plans for my next fic when this one is over! So yay!**_

 _ **Alright, enough of my yabbering. Sorry this chapter isn't quite as long as my other ones; it just felt like it needed to end where it did. Anyhow, enjoy the story!**_

Chapter 8

Hermione held Callista's letter in her hand, her eyes trained on the page, but not registering what was written there in her daughter's small, curled handwriting. Her breath shook slightly as she listened to Delanie play on the floor in front of her; the young girl's carefree giggles and voices filling the monotone room with small shots of happiness.

"Mummy, when is Liyah getting here?" Delanie questioned, breaking Hermione's trance as the girls small hands patted her knee; her large brown eyes looking up at her imploringly.

Hermione swallowed the lump in her throat, glancing over to where Draco sat, before answering. "Aunt Pansy will be here soon to pick you up alright?" she replied gently, running her fingers slowly through Delanie's soft brown curls.

Delanie beamed, clambering up onto the couch and into Hermione's lap. "Mummy, do you think that maybe I could draws Pansy a picture?"

Hermione nodded, a small smile gracing her sorrow-lined features. "I think she would love that Lanie."

Delanie nodded, hopping down and heading out of the sitting room to get her coloring supplies; stopping on her way out to grab her stuffed lion, holding it tightly to her chest. Hermione watched her happily skip from the room; her curls bouncing animatedly around her head.

"Do you know how much time she spends anywhere but here?" Draco commented quietly, a few moments after Delanie had left, pulling Hermione's attention away from the empty doorframe.

The brown-haired witch's small smile fell, her eyes stinging with unshed tears. "She seems content enough to spend time with her friends and cousins Draco."

"Only because she's too young to understand any of this," Draco replied, tracing patterns absent-mindedly into the fabric of the sofa. "Do you know how many times this week she's asked me where Evanna is?" he questioned, his voice catching at the end.

"Please," Hermione whispered, pulling her legs up onto the couch and wrapping her arms tightly around them. "Don't do this."

"What do you want me to do Hermione?" Draco sighed, frustrated with the whole situation.

Hermione shook her head, those tears starting to trail down her face in thin lines. She opened her mouth to reply, but was stopped by the dinging of the fireplace; the sitting room glowing green as the fireplace roared to life. She turned back to the window, not wanting to try and explain to Pansy why she was crying again. Draco watched her, his jaw tightening until it hurt. Sighing, he rubbed his eyes tiredly as Pansy emerged from the flames, brushing non-existent ashes from her shirt.

"Hey Drake," she greeted, one of her perfectly styled eyebrows raised as she glanced at Hermione.

Draco shook his head, tearing his gaze away from his wife. "Delanie," he called. "Pansy is here."

A faint yell of excitement sounded from somewhere in the Manor, and the corners of Pansy's lips turned up in a smile. "Someone sounds excited," she commented, tucking a stray strand of hair back behind her ear.

Draco nodded, tucking his hands into the pockets of his pants. "Delanie enjoys going to your home Pans."

"Well it's always a pleasure to have her," Pansy replied with a small smile. She knew perfectly well that Draco was nowhere near pleased with the situation that had wordlessly been arranged between the Zabini's and his daughter. Things had been tense for Draco and Hermione since Evanna's death, and it was all Pansy could do to watch their daughter for them while they tried to work this out. She knew that even though he hated it, Draco was grateful; even if he didn't ever vocalize it.

"Pansy!" Delanie exclaimed, running into the room and launching herself into the witch's open arms. "Look! I mades you a picture."

"You did?" Pansy smiled, kneeling down beside the youngest Malfoy, and accepting the picture from her surrogate daughter's small hands. "My goodness Lanie! You're so talented!"

Delanie beamed. "See? I mades a picture of a unicorn ands a lion. I used my new pencils too," she added, pointing animatedly to the picture.

"Wow. Did you do all this yourself?" Pansy replied, her eyes sparkling as she looked at the picture.

"Yup," Delanie proclaimed proudly, her face shining with pride and happiness. "Mummy said I could, so I did. Huh mummy?"

Delanie looked expectantly at Hermione, who only nodded in response; her face still turned toward the window. Delanie's small features scrunched up in confusion, and she slowly walked over to where her mother sat, placing her small hand on top of Hermione's. "Mummy… mummy what's wrong?"

Pansy cleared her throat lightly, glancing quickly at Draco. "Lanie, your mum isn't feeling very well, so you're going to come and spend a few days with me and Aliyah."

"Oh," Delanie responded, her brown eyes filling with worry as she looked at Hermione. "Mummy, please feel better. I miss you playing with me."

Draco and Pansy sucked in sharp breaths at Delanie's words; Draco shooting Hermione a look that she didn't see. He crouched down beside his daughter, holding her small hand in his. "Lanie, I'm sure your mum misses playing with you too, but we both need to give her some time to feel better alright?"

Delanie nodded, looking back at Hermione. "I loves you mummy. Please don't feel bad anymore." Then she hugged Draco quickly before turning and walking back over to Pansy; her eyes alight with excitement. "Pansy, can we gets ice-cream?"

"Of course we can," Pansy smiled, picking up the small girl and letting her rest on her hip. "What kind of ice-cream would you like?"

"Blueberry!" Delanie shouted excitedly, covering her mouth hurriedly and glancing nervously at Draco. "Sorrys daddy."

"It's alright Lanie," Draco smiled, picking up his daughter's overnight bag from the floor and handing it to Pansy. "Just be good for Pansy alright? No causing trouble."

"I prwomise daddy," Delanie smiled, wrapping her small arms tightly around Pansy's neck. "I'll even saves you some ice-cream if you wants."

Draco laughed softly. "Alright Delanie." He looked at Pansy, and she could see the exhaustion and pain beneath his pale grey orbs. "Thank you Pans," he said softly. "I don't know how to repay you for this."

Pansy took a deep breath, wrapping her free arm lightly around his neck. "Get better," she whispered, quiet enough so only he could hear. "I will help you as long as it takes Draco. Just promise me that."

Draco nodded, embracing her tightly before pulling away; lightly ruffling Delanie's hair. "Have fun okay Lane?"

"I will daddy," Delanie smiled, kissing him lightly on the cheek. "I loves you."

"I love you too sweetheart," Draco replied, watching until the green flames disappeared along with his friend and daughter. He sighed, running his fingers raggedly through his platinum blond hair, trying to decide what to do.

"I'm sorry Draco. I really am," Hermione said quietly, her voice barely above a whisper.

He turned, walking slowly over to the couch, lowering himself carefully onto the cushions beside his wife. He let his hand rest lightly on her leg; gently rubbing his thumb against the fabric of her jeans. "Hermione, what can I do for you?" he whispered, his silver eyes filled with pain.

"I don't know anymore Draco," she replied, her words ending in a sob. "I just don't know."

"Hermione, you know I would bring her back if I could," Draco rasped, his words heavy with emotion. "I would trade places with her in a heartbeat."

"Draco please… please don't say that," Hermione practically whimpered, pulling her legs even closer to her chest. "I would die without you… don't leave me."

She leaned against him, her head falling heavily against his shoulder. Draco's hand left her leg, and he wrapped his long arms around her, pulling her close, and holding her as she cried.

"I won't Hermione," he murmured, burying his face in her soft brown hair. "I won't."

...

...

...

"I've come to offer you a deal."

Draco turned from his lab station at the voice; his features hardening in anger. "Get out of my office Bellatrix."

"Did you not hear me dear?" the witch questioned, running her index finger along the countertop and inspecting it. "I came to offer you a deal."

Draco growled, tossing the waste ingredients into the trash receptacle. "And what makes you think I want anything from you?"

Bellatrix smiled cruelly. "This concerns the remaining members of your little… family," she replied, twirling a strand of her long black hair languidly around her finger. "If you're interested that is."

"You stay away from them," Draco snarled, his eyes flashing silver with anger. "You've done enough damage already."

"I'm perfectly aware of that," Bellatrix replied, meeting her nephew's furious gaze. "This proposition will… _ensure_ that the Death Eaters stay far away from the Malfoy family."

"Why should I trust you Bellatrix?" Draco hissed, clearing his lab station. "Unfortunately, I've already made that mistake far too many times."

"Draco, listen to me," Bellatrix said, walking over to where her nephew stood. "Don't you want to live happily again?"

Something in that statement caught Draco's attention and he turned to look at her, even though it was rather un-nerving. The Bellatrix that was alive now, looked nothing like the one he had known before. This… this was the Bellatrix from the pictures his mother showed him. This was the Bellatrix that had wanted to marry Evan Rosier, and the Bellatrix that had planned her killings with eerie precision.

Bellatrix noticed the change behind her nephew's eyes, and she resisted the smirk that threatened to steal across her features. "Wouldn't you love to see your wife smile again? To see the light shine in her eyes like it used to? And what about your son? Wouldn't you give anything to fix that hole that has wormed it's way into his heart? Don't you want Evander to feel alive again? For Callista to not go to sleep crying every single night? And Delanie… don't you want her to have her oldest sister back? Don't you want to raise her in a home of happiness, instead of sending her off to the Zabini's constantly?"

Draco hesitated, listening to his aunt make her list. He wanted desperately to push it all aside and have Bellatrix forcibly removed from his offices… but the awful thing? He _wanted_ those things she was talking about, and he wanted them desperately. Evanna's death was rapidly tearing his family apart, and there was nothing he could do about it.

"I'm… listening," he replied slowly, his silver eyes piercing through hers.

Bellatrix smiled, her dark brown eyes glittering with triumph. "Draco… you know what I have in my possession, and what I can _do_ with that item don't you?"

Draco stiffened at her words; fear slicing through him. For once, Bellatrix wasn't lying. This wasn't another one of her empty promises. Bellatrix had a time turner, and she knew how to use it. She _had_ used it... countless times to resurrect herself… of course she could bring Evanna back.

"What's the catch Bellatrix?" He questioned hoarsely. "There's always a catch with you?"

Bellatrix shook her head. "There is no catch Draco. I'm not going to distort and mold this to fit to my wishes. It's more of a trade. Something, you want for something I want."

"And what is it you want?" Draco asked, looking at her warily.

"Your services," Bellatrix said simply, hopping up so she could sit up on one of the countertops.

"My services," he repeated.

"Draco, you are still to this day, one of the best wizards that I have ever seen, and your skill with potions has grown immensely since last I spoke with you, and it's no secret. You would be an invaluable asset to the Death Eater program," Bellatrix prompted, watching her nephew's face closely.

"The Death Eaters are the reason I'm in this situation to begin with," Draco stated bluntly, crossing his arms across his chest.

"And they could also be the reason you no longer have to worry about the safety of your family," she pointed out smoothly. "Think about it Draco. You could do something again. Something that would change the world. And you wouldn't have to constantly worry about your wife and children. Your life could be stress-free. They would be completely protected by your allegiance."

Draco remained silent for a moment, his mind whirling at a hundred miles per hour. There was no way in heaven or earth that he would have ever gone back to the Death Eaters; not after what they did to him. But what Bellatrix was proposing… that was different wasn't it? He would be betraying himself to go back to them… but he was a Malfoy. And Malfoy's had always done what they thought was best for their family, even if it wasn't the right choice. That had been the driving force behind Lucius and his involvement.

"I'll give you a few days to think it over," Bellatrix said, interrupting his thoughts.

He nodded, watching as she flooed from his offices. Almost immediately after, he left as well; apparating to the Leaky Cauldron. Salazar save his soul, but he was probably going to end up doing something he would regret.


	10. Chapter 9

_**A/N: Hey everyone! Sorry again for taking so long to update. I've been really busy with work, and now I have vacation coming up which is a really good thing! It just means I won't really have time to update for a bit. However, that being said, I have the next couple chapters written, and I just need to edit everything. :)**_

 _ **Alright, so, here is this chapter. I'm sorry if it's not quite as good as I'm trying to make it. I've really had some troubles trying to write the end of this story. I know how I want it to end, I just don't quite know... how to get there. So, this is an attempt at trying to get to that finale.**_

 _ **But, a bright future ahead, this story is almost at an end! AND I'm already working on a couple different stories, so you can look forward to hearing more from me! :)**_

 _ **As always, I don't own any of this, but I wish I did.**_

Chapter 9

Evander hurried down the stairs, taking them two at a time until he reached the bottom; heading towards the library. He and Kymber were supposed to meet almost an hour ago to review the Potions assignment and he was extremely late. He opened the doors to the library and walked in, looking around in confusion when he realized that he was the room's only occupant. Turning to leave, he stopped cold; hearing another voice he thought he'd never hear again.

"Vander," Evanna whispered, slipping out from behind one of the tower aisles; tears trailing down her porcelain skin.

Evander couldn't move; couldn't seem to turn around. He had to be dreaming… Evanna was dead. He'd come to terms with that.

Evanna stood waiting; her breath coming in small gasps. "Vander?"

"Vanna," he choked as he turned finally, fear shining through his glistening eyes. "Is it… really you?"

Evanna nodded, a tear filled laugh escaping her throat. "Yeah. It's really me."

Evander shook his head, as if still not believing what he was seeing; like his mind was playing a horrible trick on him. He watched as Evanna walked toward him; her silver eyes trained on his matching ones. It couldn't be real. Evanna was dead. He was there, he held her limp hand… listened for a heartbeat that hadn't been there. So how, in all the mysteries of Merlin could she be here?

"Vander… I know what you're thinking," Evanna murmured, coming to stop right in front of him. "But I promise this is real. It's me."

A single tear escaped his silver orbs, and Evanna reached up and gently wiped it away. Evander stared at her for a moment longer before crushing her between his arms; wrapping her so tightly he feared he might hurt her. "How?" he rasped, every word sticking in his throat.

"I would answer… if I could breathe," Evanna sniffed, beaming.

"Then don't answer yet," Evander whispered, hugging her even tighter. "Because I'm not letting go."

Evanna nodded, burying her face into his shoulder, her tears making small marks on the dark green fabric. They stood together for a while before Evander stepped back slightly, his pale silver eyes meeting his sister's. "How?" he whispered, still not believing what he was seeing.

Evanna shrugged, slipping out of his grasp and walking over to the library tables where she sat down, gesturing for him to take a seat beside her. He did, still waiting for an answer.

"I don't know Vander," she replied with a sigh, flipping through a book that had been left on the table; letting the pages fall gently against each other. "I can't explain it. I just… woke up and I was here."

"Why here? I mean this is Hogwarts… that doesn't make sense."

"Is it really Hogwarts though?" Evanna mused, looking around the deserted library. "There aren't any students, no teachers… nothing."

Evander's brows furrowed, trying to understand what she was saying. Evanna had always been a little vague when she explained things; and it seemed that nothing had changed. There was a loud bang from outside the library doors; making Evander jump in his seat. He glanced over at Evanna, noticing that she seemed perfectly fine with the commotion.

"What was that?" he questioned, glancing back at the doors.

"You're waking up," she whispered, her eyes filled with sadness.

"What?" He looked at her again, but she seemed slightly blurry… as if he'd forgotten to put in his contacts that morning.

"Listen Vander," Evanna interrupted suddenly, grabbing his hand. "Those Death Eaters that almost caught you? Be careful. They aren't students. They're there from the Ministry."

Evander nodded, his eyelids feeling heavy as he looked at her; fighting to keep his eyes open.

"Vander you have to stop them," Evanna pleaded, trying to get him to stay. "Tell McGonagall. Tell her it's-"

Evander jolted awake, sitting straight up in bed; his chest heaving slightly with exertion. Gasping for air, he glanced at the clock on his bedside table; three in the morning. Tossing the clock to the floor, Evander fell back against the pillows and sheets; his head pounding loudly against his skull. Groaning, he rolled out of bed, grabbing blindly for his shoes in the dark. He had to get out of here… something about his castle was messing with his brain. Finding his shoes, he slipped them on, hastily grabbing his coat.

"Where is it?" He muttered, shifting around the room and attempting to find Albus' trunk. Muttering a slight profanity as he rammed his toe against said trunk, he opened the lid and pulled the desired cloak from within. Tossing it around his shoulders, he slipped from the room and out into the corridors and grounds beyond. Evander reached the lake, dropping heavily onto the dew soaked grass; letting his head fall into his hands.

What, in the good name of Salazar Slytherin or even Merlin himself had just happened? It had been completely real… there's no way it couldn't have been. He saw Evanna… touched her, spoke to her. Yet, somehow he hadn't. He was alive, and Evanna was dead. But she'd known about what had happened with Kymber. There was no way she could have known… she was dead. Was he somehow living in a parallel dimension?

He was jolted out of his thoughts by the sensation of the cloak being pulled off of him; slipping to the ground around his feet. Not caring at this point, he didn't raise his head; just kept his gaze trained toward the shimmering ground.

"Evander, what are you doing out here?"

"I- I don't know," the blond replied, feeling his words catch in his throat.

"You do know, it's technically against the rules for you to be out here by yourself," Harry sighed, crouching down beside the son of his childhood nemesis.

"Expel me," Evander muttered. "Or just… something. I honestly can't live like this anymore."

"What do you mean Evander?" the aging Boy Who Lived questioned, his brows furrowed in worry.

"I'm going crazy Harry," Evander rasped, raking his fingers through the pale blond mop of hair that was so much like his father's. "Tonight… I dreamed. I saw," his voice cracked, and he cleared it quickly before continuing. "I saw Evanna, Harry."

"Evander," Harry sighed, adjusting his position beside the younger boy. "It's natural, to dream about people close to you that have died-"

"No. This was completely different," Evander interrupted, shaking his head in agitation. "I was _there_. Or she was here. I don't know. For some small space in time, Evanna and I were part of the same little universe. I could talk to her, touch her, _feel her breathe_."

"Evander…"

"Harry, she knew. She somehow knew that I was asleep, and I didn't. And she knew when I was going to wake up," Evander reiterated, gesturing animatedly with his hands. "And she… she knew. She knew things that have happened since her death. Explicit details. I can't… explain it. But it was real. And I don't know how that's possible."

Harry paused, contemplating what the eldest Malfoy child had said. It still didn't seem, remotely possible; but he had to do something to ease this boy's mind. And get him back inside. "Evander… did your mother ever tell you what happened to me in the Forbidden Forest?" At the blonde shake of the younger boy's head, he continued. "Well, I'll spare you the majority of the details… but while I was there, I saw all the people that were important to me in life. My parents, Sirius, Teddy's father… they all appeared. Maybe that's somewhat of the same as what happened to you."

Evander nodded, not believing it was the same for one minute, but not saying anything. He stood, handing the cloak to Harry before turning and walking back up the dew-covered grass toward Hogwarts. Harry watched him, something still not quite clicking in his mind as he thought of their conversation.

"Evander," he called suddenly, pausing the blonde's retreat. "What did Evanna know that happened after her death?"

Harry watched as Evander visibly tensed, and when he glanced over his shoulder, his jaw was set in a firm line. "Death Eaters," he growled, his voice an angered rumble. "There are Death Eaters in this castle… and I don't know who they are."

...

...

...

Bellatrix smiled, folding her cloak neatly and placing it gently in the drawer beside her mask. Closing the drawer, she reached for a brush, and started running it through her smooth black locks; humming lightly to herself as she went.

Rodolphus entered, fixing the buttons on his black shirt; slight confusion entering his mind as he listened to her sing softly. "What's gotten you so happy?" he questioned, shifting through the closet to find his own cloak.

"Everything, is in the palm of my hand," Bellatrix replied, setting down her brush and fixing a few shimmering black pins into her hair.

"So that's what the humming and all is about," Rodolphus nodded, finding his cloak and throwing it around his shoulders.

She nodded, turning in her chair so she could look at him. "Things are working out wonderfully, and I can't help but be pleased with the outcomes as of yet."

Rodolphus nodded, covering his features with the slick silver mask before exiting the room; closing the door behind him.

"I take it… that you haven't told your _dearly_ beloved that you brought me back?" another voice commented, a figure slipping out of the shadows in the corner of the room.

Bellatrix turned, her smile now bearing a slightly cruel twist. "Rodolphus is a fool," she replied with a shrug. "I don't owe him anything close to an explanation."

"So I was mistaken about the dearly beloved part yes?" Evan laughed, twirling his wand between his fingers. "I _was_ hoping you didn't replace me however."

"I had to Evan," Bellatrix replied, her eyes flashing. "My parents wanted it."

"I know Bella," he murmured, his eyes never leaving hers. "I wouldn't have expected anything different. Hope is a completely different idea from the truth of reality."

"Do you realize how perfectly aligned everything is at this moment?" Bellatrix asked, looking almost… thrilled. "I have Draco in the palm of my hand… the best potion master since Severus, and someone who is truly versed in alchemy. True to our deal, he must carry out everything I ask, or his family will suffer for it."

"Correct me if I'm wrong," Evan responded, watching her closely. "But I was under the impression that you _wanted_ them all dead. Also, your nephew hasn't actually agreed to your terms yet."

" _Yet_ ," Bellatrix emphasized, beaming. "And I do want them all dead. After I get what I want from my nephew, I won't have a use for him any longer, and I can dispose of him and his family however I wish."

"Then you defeat the prophecy, and are in a perfect position to have all the power in the world," Evan said, respect and pride shining through his voice; his eyes following her as she crossed the room, her dress flowing languidly around her legs.

"Exactly," Bellatrix whispered, her voice full of contempt and excitement.

Evan nodded in agreement, reaching out and taking her hand in his; pulling her closer. "You are absolutely wicked," he laughed, winding an arm around her waist. "And just as young and beautiful as I remember."

"Perks of having to find a younger version of yourself every time you come back," Bellatrix teased, looping her arms around his neck. "And now, I have you, and everything is perfect."

He smiled, leaning down and pressing his lips against hers; remembering all the times he had done just this back when they first courting… when he realized that she was one of the most powerful witches in the world; even at her young age.

"The world will fear me," Bellatrix breathed, her eyes sparkling with just a hint of controlled insanity.

Evan smiled cruelly, tucking a piece of her shimmering black hair behind her ear. "The world already fears you, love. It's just time you show them what you are truly capable of."

...

...

...

 _ **A/N: As always, thank you for reading, and please review and let me know what you think/ any ideas you have!**_


	11. Chapter 10

**_A/N: Dang guys, it's been awhile since I updated. I'm kinda the worst. I just started college, and it's totally new and weird and it's taking me a long time to adjust, and I don't have nearly as much free time as I had before. BUT. I had some time today, so I had the chance to write this chapter, and hopefully you guys like it._**

 ** _Someone wrote a review last time requesting that I include more of the adults interacting with the kids, so I switched some things around in my story outline, and hopefully it all works out and you guys like it! I know it isn't as long as my chapters usually are, but the next one will probably be really long because a lot of stuff needs to happen._**

 ** _Anywho... thank you to all of those who still read this even though I'm the worst at updating, and for all of you who review and leave constructive comments as well as telling me the things you like. So, continue please! I love hearing what you all think._**

 ** _As always, I don't own any of the characters you recognize from the HP books, or any of the plot details from those either. Please R &R!_**

Chapter 10

...

"You're daydreaming again."

Scorpius jumped in his seat, his eyes wide as he stared at his sister. "I am not."

"Yes you were," Callista sighed, stacking her scrolls up neatly, one on top of the other. "Rose walked by, and immediately your attention flew straight out the window."

"Did not," Scorpius humphed, rolling his eyes as he looked back out said window.

"Fine. You believe what you want, but if you're not going to pay attention, I'm not going to help you study for your Potions O.W.L," Callista replied, sliding her scrolls into her bag and rising from her seat.

"No!" he exclaimed, actually getting out of his seat to block her exit from the common room. "I promise that I'll pay attention."

Callista stared at him, completely unamused. "That's what you said the first time."

"Okay, but I actually mean it now. I'm going to fail without your help!"

"You won't fail. You just won't receive a good score," Callista corrected him, shrugging as she slung her bag over her shoulder.

"And how the hell will that look?! The son of freaking genious Hermione Jean Granger, 'brightest witch of her age' and Draco Malfoy, _who owns his own Potions business_?! How would that look to everyone if the offspring of those two genius' failed his Potions O.W.L of all things?!" Scorpius exclaimed, groaning as he let his head fall heavily against the table; letting out a muffled 'ouch'.

Callista sighed, attempting to stifle a laugh. "You are such a drama queen Scorp."

"I'm not a girl Cal," Scorpius replied, his voice still muffled.

"I know that genius," she smiled, removing her bag from her shoulder and sitting back down at the table. "You used to run around without pants as a child."

Scorpius lifted his head, laughter filling his eyes. "Oh gosh Cal. Not in here."

"Oh yes," Callista teased, the characteristic Malfoy smirk lining her face. "You'd look out the window and see a little blonde head running rapid-fire through the yard."

"Oh gosh," he groaned, covering his eyes. "Please, Cal. My reputation."

"And you wouldn't put your pants back on until Vander and Vanna managed to wrangle you…."

Scorpius uncovered his eyes, noting the change in her tone. "Yeah… yeah they did," he nodded, watching his younger sister's face.

"I miss them Scorp," Callista whispered, crystal tears filling her silver eyes.

"Hey, stop that," Scorpius murmured, moving closer to her. "Vander is still around."

"No he's not," Callista laughed mirthlessly, small tears trailing down her cheeks. "The Evander we knew when you did stupid things like that, died right alongside Evanna."

Scorpius tried to come up with a response; he really did, but what Callista was saying was true. Since Evanna died it was almost like they'd lost both of their siblings… not just one. Evander was distant and cold; moving around the school and their house almost like a ghost. No one could really blame him though. Evanna's death had affected everyone, not just him. Although Evander had been hit the hardest by the death of his twin, the rest of the Malfoy family was also suffering. Callista's letters home to their mother, were often been returned by Draco, wishing her well, but letting her know that regretfully, Hermione was not able to respond at the time; rather she was busy working or her back was acting up, making her feel ill. Hermione had a tendency to overload herself when she was grieving; giving herself much more work than she could handle.

But even through the letters talking of their mother, Scorpius and Callista were able to see that Draco was suffering just as much. He sounded tired, strained and… worried. But somehow, they were all pulling through. Slowly and surely, the Malfoy family was starting to live again. Hermione had started talking more, and Evander had started studying again. Not that he'd ever really been a straight down the line type of student like Hermione or Callista, but he didn't always slack off either…like the dunderhead Callista was helping at the moment.

"Hey, maybe instead of _me_ failing, the Potion's wonder boy will fail. That'll throw everyone for a loop won't it?" Scorpius smiled, watching a small smirk creep back across his little sister's features.

"Evander fail Potions? You're dreaming a little too big there," she replied, tucking her hair behind her ear and removing the books from her bag. "He might fail his Divination exam, but he won't fail potions. He's been trained to work in dad's company practically since he was born."

Scorpius nodded, tapping his fingers against the side of his head. "You're right. Perhaps that was a bit too much wishful thinking."

Callista laughed; the light sound filling their small space. "Wishful thinking or not, if we don't start again soon, you really _are_ going to fail. And I'm not sure I want to witness mum and dad's reaction."

...

...

...

"Sorry, but this sounds absolutely unbelievable."

"I'm not saying it's believable," Harry rationalized, trying to steer the conversation with his way. "I'm just relaying what Evander told me."

"Evander's mind hasn't quite been… as stable since Evanna's death," Hermione murmured, her eyes full of sadness as she stared at her childhood friend. "He could easily have imagined something."

"He seemed completely serious," Harry replied, biting the inside of his cheek. "I know he's changed since, but when I talked to him about this, I saw a glimpse of the old Evander. It was the strangest thing."

"He may have sounded normal when you talked to him Potter, but he was saying that there's Death Eaters in Hogwarts," Draco sighed, glancing at his wife. "It's one of the last secure areas in the nation. It has generations upon generations of protective spells around the grounds. It just doesn't seem possible for Death Eaters to get in there."

"You let the Death Eaters in just fine when you were there," Pansy countered, jumping up to chase down the energetic toddler that was rambling around the kitchen. "Potter, please tell me you don't keep the knives under the island counter."

"No, we keep them under the rugs. Much more accessible to children."

Pansy narrowed her eyes for a moment, before disappearing into the other room; still chasing her daughter.

I'd stay out of Pansy's way if she's chasing that daughter of yours for more than another minute. Or you're in for it," Draco commented, smirking slightly at his childhood friend.

"Mate, children is Pansy's area of expertise."

"Never would have thought that," Ginny laughed, entering the room with Pansy close on her heels; Aliah cradled in her arms.

"Doesn't matter," Pansy shushed the redhead, taking a seat beside her husband; her arms still clasped tightly around her daughter. "We happen to be getting extremely off topic. We need to figure out if this is legitimate or not."

"I can't help but think that it is," Hermione spoke quietly, staring at her hands. "I know that Hogwarts is the safest place for them to be." she paused, her breath shaking slightly. "But being safe doesn't mean you won't be sorry. If we don't take him seriously, we could regret it later."

Fearful silence met Hermione's words, as the numerous adults around the table let what she'd said sink in. It was too close to home, and it was what they'd all been thinking, even if they hadn't voiced it. They didn't have anything to go off of, but if they brushed this off as nothing… they could end up adding it to the long list of regrets each of them held.

"Well I for one think Evander is right," Ginny voiced, breaking the tense silence. "There's already too much evidence to prove that there's a real possibility of Death Eaters being in the school. James was poisoned at the beginning of the year _at Hogwarts_. And now Evander and Kymber think that they heard Death Eaters? I'd say we'd be foolish not to believe them."

"Ginevra is right," Luna said airily, holding out a feather for Aliyah to play with. "Sometimes what you need to know is right in front of you, you just choose not to look because you're afraid of what you'll see."

"I'm writing McGonagall," Hermione spoke suddenly, getting up from the table. "They can't stay in that school."

...

...

...

"Mum is sending for us," Callista said, coming into the common room; a letter in her hand. "McGonagall approved it and is sending us home for the weekend."

"Well I'm glad," Scorpius replied, flipping idly through a book. "I'm sick of all the stares people have been sending us."

"They look at you like that because of your sister," Albus pointed out, looking up from his Herbology assignment. "Not because of you."

"Stop trying to make that sound like a good thing Potter," Evander murmured from his spot by the window.

"Evander I wasn't trying to-"

"Potter, I don't particularly care what you were trying to do," Evander interrupted him, moving his eyes away from the window panes to bore through the younger boy's. "So please shut up while you're ahead."

Everyone froze at Evander's words. Though they knew he was prone to anger and cruel tactics, it still shocked them to actually hear them manifested.

"Well, we have half an hour to pack, and then McGonagall is opening up the floo in her office so we can go home," Callista continued, meeting her brothers eyes. "I'll see you both then."

"I'd better go too," Albus spoke, not looking at either Scorpius or Evander. "You need to get packed, and I still have quite a bit of studying to do before the O.W.L.S."

As soon as the common room door shut, Scorpius rounded on his brother, eyes blazing. "What the hell was that Evander?"

"Potter was spewing idiocy," Evander replied calmly, meeting his brother's angry gaze.

"No, you just enjoy being a stuck up jackass that makes everyone around you feel miserable," Scorpius spat, unable to keep his anger under control. "You think you're the only one hurting from Evanna's death but you haven't even woken up enough to realize that other people are grieving _just_ as much as you are."

"I don't want to hear about it Scorpius," Evander responded, his features hardening.

"Yeah? Well you need to. I'm sick of you wandering around like you're a living corpse that would rather be dead. If Evanna was here to see how you were acting I think she'd be disappointed to see what a sorry excuse for a sibling she's got."

He knew the second the words left his mouth that they were wrong, but it was proved when Evander's fist connected with his jaw, sending stars swirling through his vision.

"You're stooping so low as to punch your own brother?" Scorpius growled, gently fingering the side of his face.

"You deserve it after what you just said," Evander hissed in response, his face a mixture of anguish and fury.

The pair of siblings stared at each other, a cloud of things remaining unsaid hanging between them as each dealt with the emotions and thoughts swirling around their heads. Evander shook his head, wiping everything from his features as he'd been taught by their father.

"You might want to fix your face before mum sees it," he spoke, turning to the stair that led to the dormitory.

"I wouldn't worry about mum. Most things slip by her nowadays," Scorpius replied, teeth clenched as he stared at his brother. "Besides, it's not like she'd care even if she saw it. Our parents are only worried about you."

...

 _ **A/N: Ah! Crazy. Um, again I have a lot of free time today, so hopefully I can get another chapter up and running for you guys either today or tomorrow. Anyways, let me know what you think/any comments, critiques or ideas you have as well!**_

 _ **-TheFreckledKangaroo**_


	12. Chapter 11

_**A/N: Sorry! I promised I would upload two in one day, and I didn't. But it's the day after, so that's close right? Not really. But hey. Here's another chapter for you all.**_

 _ **Just a quick note about this chapter. It was actually one of the hardest ones to write, and not just because I have to pack a lot of information in, but because I really feel horrible about what I have to do to these characters to make my story play out. I pretty much sob every time I have to make their lives horrible, because these little guys are like my children... but the story must go on.**_

 _ **So just try not to hate me when you read this chapter okay? Pretty please. I promise there's a reason for all of this.**_

 _ **As always, I don't own anything you recognize, though I wish I did.**_

Chapter 11

Luna knocked politely on the door of Malfoy Manor, checking her bag once more to make sure the package was still safely inside. She'd been more nervous on this one walk over than she had any other time in her life, and she was not afraid to say that she'd like to get rid of the feeling as soon as possible.

"Luna?" Draco questioned, opening the door to see the blonde witch standing on the other side; her hands clasped tightly in front of her. "What are you-"

"Draco, I'm really sorry but can I please come in? I'd rather not stand out here longer than I have to," she interrupted, feeling more and more agitated by the second.

Draco nodded, stepping back to allow the woman into his home, closing the door firmly behind her. Luna's attitude was giving him a strange feeling, and he wasn't looking forward to whatever she had to say. When Looney Lovegood wasn't acting well… looney, that meant something big was definitely up.

"Luna, what's going on?" he questioned, staring at the blonde witch in apprehension.

"Draco, I stole something. From the Ministry," she blurted out, feeling like she might possibly lose her breakfast.

"Luna, it's not hard to steal things from the Ministry," Draco reassured her. "Especially when Death Eaters are running the place."

"I know," Luna replied, taking a deep breath. "But… it's not something that usually happens. In fact, the last time someone tried to steal something like this, Sirius Black was killed."

Draco's heart stopped for a moment, his mind racing to the exact point in time that she was talking about. "You stole something from the Department of mysteries," he murmured, his eyes boring into hers. "Luna what possessed you to take one of the prophecies?"

"I volunteer there," Luna explained, reacting into her bag and carefully lifting out the wrapped sphere. "And when I was categorizing and dusting, I saw this one. I've seen it before, but this time… for some reason it had your name on it."

At his shocked expression she hurried to correct herself. "Your last name that is. But as soon as I saw it, the name disappeared. It's the strangest thing, but I took it because part of me knows that it's got to be important."

Draco delicately took the glass ball from her hands, unwrapping the cloth and staring at the glowing blue orb. Slowly, words lifted to the surface; his heart sinking as he read each one.

 _A savior shall rise from the ashes of a fallen nation_

 _Cloaked with the legacy of those before_

 _This savior will ride the rays of the setting sun_

 _Fire proclaiming them the final victor_

 _Born of a lion and a snake before three years are done_

 _Tied by blood...the blood of those despised_

 _The savior shall bring to pass the deepest desires_

 _Or perhaps the deepest fears not yet realized_

 _The child of a lion and a snake_

 _Born this world to shake and break_

 _Like master before your fall will come_

 _Not from a source expected_

 _The savior shall come through your sister's son_

 _Through this child your destinies shall be forever connected_

 _The prodigy of the slippery snake and the courageous lion_

 _Will bring a victory on the horizon_

 _Like a chimera, their loyalty wavers_

 _Bringing the triumph to whomever it favors_

 _Victory could be yours eternally through this relation_

 _Or it will be the cause of your annihilation._

"Draco, what is it? Have you seen this before?" Luna questioned, noticing how pale his face had gotten as he read.

Draco shook his head, his grey eyes glued to the shining orb. "This is the prophecy she was talking about," he murmured, shaking his head in confusion.

"Draco what are you talking about?"

"Luna, I… I have to go. I promise I'll return this as soon as I can," Draco spoke, not answering her question, and not removing his eyes from the sphere.

As soon as Luna had left, Hermione appeared around the corner, the question already on the tip of her tongue when Draco turned to her.

"Hermione, this is what she was talking about," Draco said, looking up to meet her eyes. "Do you still have that letter that Bellatrix sent you?"

Hermione nodded, walking to the coat rack and pulling the folded parchment from the pocket. Handing it to her husband, she waited, looking at him in apprehension.

"Hermione this is it," he murmured, his shoulders drooping in defeat. "This is what she meant when she said she'd tear the Malfoy name apart."

...

...

"Scorpius."

He turned, putting a smile on his face for his mother. "Mum. Sorry, I didn't see you there."

"It's alright," Hermione responded, moving further into her son's room, not moving her eyes away from his face. "Do you have a moment to talk?"

"Of course. What would you like to talk about?" Scorpius replied, tossing some stuff off of his bed so Hermione could sit down. "Sorry, it's kind of a mess, I tend to not clean up."

"I know," Hermione smiled, a hint of a laugh lining her words. "And don't worry. I've lived with your father for years, and he has the same problem when he's working through something."

Scorpius paused in his rapid-fire cleaning spree, slowly placing some books back on the shelf. "What makes you think I'm working through something?"

"Scorpius, I'm not trying to pry into your business," Hermione defended, running her fingers over the quilt at the bottom of his bed. "I know something happened between you and Evander before you came home a month ago, and I know it hasn't been resolved."

"Mum…"

"I'm not asking you to tell me Scorpius," Hermione reassured him, looking at her son with the gaze that only mothers possess. "I just want to make sure you're doing alright."

"Did you already make sure that Evander is okay?" Scorpius questioned harshly, the words coming out before he could stop them. The look on his mother's face almost made him sick to his stomach, and he wished he could take the words back. "Sorry," he finished bitterly, tossing a pair of shoes angrily into his closet.

"Scorpius," Hermione started, her voice breaking as she stared at her son. "I know that a lot of things have happened since Evanna's death, and I know that I haven't… been here like I should have." She paused, blinking quickly to dissolve the tears in her eyes. "I know I left you and Callista and even Evander to fend for yourselfs, and figure out how to deal with those emotions on your own, and I will _never_ stop regretting that."

"It's not your fault mum," Scorpius murmured, crossing his arms over his chest; keeping his eyes focused on the floor. "You had to deal with it too."

"I should have been there for you Scorpius. And I'm sorry that I wasn't," Hermione replied. "I know that your father and I spent a lot of time focused on Evander, and worrying about him, and I know that doesn't make your situation any better." Here her voice became more firm, and the tears disappeared from her eyes as she continued. "But we're here for you. _I'm_ here for you, if you ever want to talk about anything. No matter what it is."

Scorpius nodded, feeling like something had been lifted off his chest just hearing his mother say that. He looked up to meet her gaze, noting how alive she looked again… not hollow and empty like she had been for months.

"I want to tell you about what happened between me and Vander," he said softly, shifting his weight slightly.

"You don't need to Scorpius," Hermione responded gently, stopping when he shook his head.

"I know. But I want to. I _need_ to," he spoke firmly. At Hermione's nod, he swallowed, taking a deep breath; suddenly unsure if she should hear the whole thing or not.

"That fight in the common room the first week you sent for us," he started, sorting through everything in his mind as he talked. "That was just the first one." He paused for a moment, before launching into the rest of the story.

" _Evander."_

 _The blonde looked up, annoyance crossing his features as he saw his brother standing near the table he and Kymber were sitting at. "What Scorpius? Can't you see that I'm a little busy?"_

" _You said you'd help Callista practice. Next year's tryouts are coming up and she wants to be ready. You were supposed to meet her out on the pitch an hour ago," Scorpius responded, dropping his bag onto the table; not breaking his gaze from Evander's._

" _Why can't you do it?" Evander replied, closing the book in front of him with a sharp snap. "I haven't played quidditch in months. You'd be much better equipped to practice with her."_

" _You're the one who promised her you'd do this months ago," Scorpius pointed out, crossing his arms defiantly over his chest. "It'd be a shame if she had something else to dislike you for."_

" _You know what?" Kymber said suddenly, shoving her books and scrolls into her bag. "I think I forgot to get my make-up assignment from Professor Slughorn. I should probably go pick it up." She stood, touching Evander's shoulder slightly. "I'll see you later alright?" He nodded and she walked away, shooting Scorpius a quick glance before the doors to the Slytherin common room closed behind her._

" _You got rid of your audience Scorp," Evander spoke drily, his eyes cold as he stared at his brother in complete indifference. "So, I suppose you can say what you really want to say now."_

" _I already did," Scorpius hissed, suddenly angry at Evander's attitude. "Callista has been counting on this since the beginning of the year. She's had this week marked on her calendar for forever; both you and Evanna promised to help her out."_

" _Well does it look like Evanna is here?" Evander snapped, the indifference gone from his features._

" _No, but you are. Or at least some version of you is," Scorpius pointed out. "Now get out there and help her practice."_

 _Evander laughed cruelly, anger shining through his eyes. "You really think Cal would want help from me? I see how she stares at me when she thinks I'm not looking. I know you two talk about it when I'm not around, and don't think I haven't noticed how you all act like you're treading on eggshells when you're with me."_

" _Maybe we have to act like that because we're afraid of you!" Scorpius burst out, unable to keep quiet anymore. "We're all afraid of who you've become. I don't even think you realize how you've been acting lately, but it's not something you should be proud of."_

 _Evander's anger fell away for a moment, revealing the broken and hollow exterior that he'd worn for so long… before it all turned to anger and unforgiving coldness. "I know you're all afraid of me," he rasped, staring despondently at his wand. "Because I'm afraid of myself."_

" _Vander…"_

" _No, stop. You thought I didn't know how afraid you all were, but I did," Evander continued, shaking his head. "I can't control myself. I… I punched you the other day."_

" _I deserved it," Scorpius laughed humorlessly._

" _I'm not saying you didn't," Evander replied harshly, squeezing his eyes shut at his tone. "But before, I would have snapped at you, and let it end at that. But the other day…"_

" _It's fine Vander," Scorpius responded, shooting his brother a half hearted smile. "I'm not upset about it. I somewhat understand what you're going through." Noticing the papers on the table, he leaned over, his curiosity piquing. "What are you-"_

" _Don't!" Evander panicked, scrambling for the papers; alarm written clearly across his face._

" _Vander," Scorpius breathed, shock written on his face. "What are these?"_

" _Nothing Scorpius," Evander retorted quickly, attempting to shove them all back into his bag. "Don't worry about it."_

" _Evander, what are they?" Scorpius repeated, his disbelief turning into anger._

" _Scorpius, I don't think you need to know," Evander hissed, making a lung for the papers that his brother had clasped in his hand._

" _You're right, because even though you refuse to actually tell me, I can read," Scorpius spat. "Why do you have names information for_ _ **Death Eaters**_ _?"_

" _It's none of your business!" Evander raged. "Give me the papers Scorpius."_

" _No! I want to know why you're trying to get in contact with Death Eaters," Scorpius seethed, the edges of his vision tinted red. "Hasn't our family gone through enough?"_

" _You don't understand Scorpius," Evander said, his tone turned to a calm rage. "Now give them back before you regret it."_

 _Scorpius laughed, but it wasn't in joy. "Are you threatening me? Merlin Evander, we_ _ **just**_ _went over this."_

" _Give them back and I won't have reason to," he growled, not showing signs of relenting._

" _I can't believe you," Scorpius responded, shaking his head in disappointment. "After all our family has been put through with the accusations and participation of the Death Eaters, and with Evanna's death caused by them, you'd think you'd stay as far away from the subject as possible."_

" _Scorpius, give me the pages," Evander said quietly, his wand now pointed directly toward his brother. "I don't want to have to do this."_

" _Then don't," Scorpius shrugged, fire racing up his palm to devour the parchment._

 _Evander paled at the sight of the singed ashes, before quickly recovering; rage marring his handsome features. "Get out Scorpius."_

" _No," Scorpius defied him, fear piercing a small section of his heart. "I want you to talk to me. I want to know why you're doing this."_

" _Leave!" Evander snarled, bright light shooting out of the end of his wand._

 _Scorpius whipped out his wand, immediately firing back at his brother; years of training in their basement making him perfectly matched to Evander's tactics. The pair of brother's fired spell after spell against each other, neither one of them willing to relent._

" _Evander I will_ _ **not**_ _let you become a Death Eater," Scorpius growled, hissing as a spell made contact with his shoulder._

" _That's none of your concern!" Evander shot back, firing another spell at his younger brother; not noticing the door to the common room opening._

 _Scorpius ducked, falling to the floor as the spell sailed over him; hitting Callista square in the chest as she entered the room._

 _Both boys froze, horror written on their faces; as their sister crumpled on the ground in front of them. Scorpius was the first to move, rushing over to her; pure panic coursing through his veins. It was all happening again. Callista here, lying on the floor like she was dead. Images from New Years Eve flashed through his mind; feelings of deja vu taking over his conscious. Frantically, he searched for her pulse, a single shot of relief running through him when he found it; only to be replaced by cold fury._

 _Evander dropped his wand; looking as if he'd seen a ghost. He took a step forward, only to have Scorpius turn on him; wand pointed at his chest, and face mottled with rage._

" _Don't you dare come near her," he snarled, his grip tightening on the wood so that his knuckles turned white._

" _Scorpius, I didn't see her. I swear," he choked, his pale grey eyes locked on his little sister's motionless features._

" _I don't want to hear it," Scorpius hissed, pulling Callista's small body into his arms. "I'm taking her to the infirmary."_

" _Scorpius please," Evandro started, taking another step forward._

" _Evander, if you take one more step forward, I swear to Merlin I will kill you," his brother replied, his eyes cold and hard._

"Mum, I told my own brother that I would kill him," Scorpius rasped, not looking up to meet Hermione's eyes. "I told him I would kill him, and I meant it."

Hermione couldn't respond, her words seemed to be locked in her throat; unable to escape. This is what Bellatrix had said; that she would tear the Malfoy name apart… and she was starting with their children.

"I took Callista to the infirmary," he continued, his jaw clenching in frustration.

" _Mr Malfoy, what's going on?"_

" _Madam Pomfrey, I know it's late but I don't know what to do," he replied, carefully setting Callista onto one of the beds. "She got hit with a spell and she hasn't moved."_

 _Madam Pomfrey nodded, grabbing a few things from her office as she talked. "What spell was it Mr Malfoy?"_

" _I don't know," Scorpius answered honestly, panic flowing through him again. "They were nonverbals."_

" _I'll do what I can," she replied, giving him a sympathetic look before turning back to his sister._

 _Scorpius nodded, leaving the room quickly. He needed air. It felt like he was suffocating and being buried alive, and he couldn't handle it anymore. Entering the hall, he shut the door firmly behind him and sank to the floor; leaning heavily against the wall. Sobs shook his shoulders as he sat, unable to hold them in._

" _Is she okay?"_

 _Scorpius looked up, pulling himself off of the wall so he stood eye to eye with his brother. "What spell did you use?" He growled, angry tears still leaking from his eyes._

" _I don't know," Evander admitted, his own eyes bloodshot and scared._

" _You don't know," Scorpius repeated, fury blinding his rational thoughts. "How can you not know?"_

 _Evander shook his head, his breath shaking._

" _Evander how can you not know?!" Scorpius screamed, all the emotions he'd held bottled up since Evanna's death roaring out. "How can you not know what spells you were using?" Evander didn't respond, and that only fueled Scorpius' fury. "Our_ _ **sister**_ _is in that room, Evander. She might be_ _ **dead**_ _and you can't even tell me what spell it was?!" His voice cracked and he let out a broken sob; feeling completely empty and afraid._

 _The two brothers stood in the deserted hallway, staring at each other; neither one of them knowing what to do. Scorpius' chest was heaving with anger and sorrow, and it took all of his remaining self control to calm his breathing, his eyes boring through Evander's._

" _I_ _ **never**_ _want to speak to you again," he spoke, his voice calm and cold. "I don't want to see you, I don't want to hear of you,_ _ **I don't want to know you exist.**_ _"_

" _Scorpius… I swear to Merlin I didn't mean to do this," Evander rasped, practically begging his younger brother to believe him._

" _You're dead to me Evander," Scorpius murmured, sorrow lining his words. "As far as I'm concerned, you died the same day Evanna did."_

"I've kept to it," Scorpius whispered, tears gathering in his pale grey eyes. "I can't… I can't live like this anymore mum. I refuse to have a brother that turns to the same people who murdered my sister."

...

 _ **A/N: It's okay! It's over! For now. Like I said, I'm really really sorry, and I know some of you are probably going to tear my hair out. But please please please pretty please R &R! It would be so amazing to hear what you all think! **_

_**As always, I love you all for sticking to this story to the end.**_

 _ **-TheFreckledKangaroo**_


	13. Chapter 12

_**A/N: I apologize in advance for the short length of this chapter. It has some important stuff, but most of it is just filler. This is a filler chapter... sorry. BUT. On the plus sides, I have all the chapters finished and looked at for edits (hopefully they're all gone now), so I should be able to post them all TODAY. Then this story will be over, and I'll probably cry.**_

 _ **Nonetheless. Here is Chapter 12. Hopefully you like it, even though it's not nearly as long.**_

 _ **I still don't own anything.**_

Chapter 12

...

Draco opened the door, startled to see Evander on the other side, reaching for his jacket. His son had stayed to his room the entire weekend; barely coming out for meals.

"Hey dad," Evander commented quietly, stepping out of the way so his father could come into the house.

"Going somewhere?" Draco questioned, glancing at the jacket in his son's hand.

"Ministry," Evander replied, closing the door; knowing his father would keep questioning him until he got what he wanted. "There's a dinner for the employees and their families. Kymber invited me."

"How late can you be?"

"It doesn't start for another hour," Evander responded, looking up to meet his father's eyes; the ones that looked so much like his own. "Why?"

Draco didn't respond, just touched his son's shoulder; immediately feeling the pull of disapparation dragging them away from the Manor. Father and son landed in the middle of a forest, and Evander instantly stepped away from Draco's side; confusion lining his features.

"Why are we here?" he asked, suddenly afraid of his father and the look he was wearing. He'd only seen this side of his father once; right after Draco found out that James had attacked Evanna.

"We needed to come somewhere and talk. Somewhere away from your mother," Draco answered, hands in his trouser pockets as he stared at Evander.

Evander didn't answer, afraid of saying something that his father didn't need to hear.

"That's what you're afraid of?" Draco murmured. "That I'll learn something I don't already know?"

Panicked, Evander stared at his father; fear coursing through his veins. How? He'd known exactly what he was thinking.

"Evander, this will be a lot easier if you just talk to me instead of me having to pull everything from your head," Draco continued, his eyes flashing in the darkening light.

"How are you doing that?" Evander asked in a low voice.

"This isn't my first time dealing with people who won't talk Evander," Draco responded, the corner of his mouth giving the slightest hint of a smile. "I've learned a few things in my years around the sun."

"Well if you already know everything, why do you feel the need to talk to me?"

"I _don't_ know everything," Draco answered, taking a step closer to his son. "I've chosen not to invade your privacy. I'd like you to tell me on your own accord; not when you're forced."

Evander heard those words, knowing he would have to tell his father everything; or he would go back on his previous statement and find out for himself. But he couldn't bring himself to tell him. Evander sunk onto a fallen tree, letting his head fall into his hands.

"Let me show you something Vander," Draco murmured, taking a seat beside him.

Evander turned, the blood draining from his face when he saw his father undoing the buttons on the sleeve of his shirt. He knew what was under the fabric, though he'd never seen it. Ever since he could remember, his father had worn long sleeved shirts wherever he went; never rolling them more than a few inches above his wrists. But he knew, that under that sleeve, burned permanently into his father's arm, was something that marked him for what he'd done and the mistakes he'd made; ones that had followed him throughout all these years.

"I know you've… heard about the things I did when I was your age," Draco spoke, breaking the icy silence as he stared at the mark on his arm; the black skull and snake taunting him even now. "I didn't think about the consequences of my actions, or how they would come back to mar me later."

He looked at Evander, who met his eyes steadily, fear and remorse shining in the grey orbs that looked so much like his own. He didn't know exactly what his son was going through, or what he was doing, but he knew that if he didn't try and stop it, Evander would end up making mistakes just like his.

"Your mother… she has a scar as well. One that marks her as someone and something that she isn't," Draco continued, watching Evander's eyes trail back down to the Dark Mark. "Evander, I know that everyone makes mistakes, and I'm not trying to justify mine, yours or hers. But I want your mistakes to leave scars like the one your mother has. Ones that prove you fought against all the things that are wrong with this world… not one like mine, that shows all your corrupt choices."

"Dad," Evander rasped, his tone strangled and sorrowful. "I swear…."

...

...

...

"Mummy looks!" Delanie beamed, squeezing her eyes shut tight as the pencil on the ground in front of her floated a few inches off the ground. "I can makes the pencil fly just likes a fairy!"

"Delanie I'm so proud of you," Hermione smiled, hugging her youngest daughter tightly to her chest. "Let's get you ready for bed alright?"

Delanie nodded, rushing over to her bureau and pulling out a bright yellow pair of pyjamas. Hermione carefully helped her into them, making sure to fasten the ribbons into neat little bows. Delanie sang to herself the entire time, even attempting some dance moves which proved to make the whole process very difficult.

Finally getting the toddler completely changed, Hermione opened her mouth to suggest she pick out a story, when Delanie dodged out of her grip, bolting to the door to throw herself around her father's legs. "Daddy!"

"Hey Lanie bug," Draco smiled, lifting his daughter carefully into his arms. "I promised I'd be back by bedtime didn't I?"

"Yes!" she grinned, wrapping her arms around his neck. "You said you'd be home to gives me a kiss goodnight."

"If I give you a kiss you have to promise to go to sleep alright?" Draco replied, bumping his nose lightly against hers.

"Prwomise daddy," she whispered, still smiling.

"Alrighty then, let's get you into bed," Draco replied, glancing at Hermione. "I'll meet you back in our room."

Hermione nodded, pulling herself off of the floor and heading back down the hall toward the master bedroom. Draco had been gone all day, and she'd been scared to death. Every time he came home later than she expected… she feared he wasn't coming back at all. She slowly got ready for bed, pulling on one of the many over-sized shirts that she'd 'stolen' from Draco over the years and sat on the couch; too anxious and sore to go to sleep.

It seemed like hours, but he finally entered the room, making sure the door was shut and latched firmly behind him. "Hermione-"

"Where were you today?" she stopped him, fidgeting agitatedly with the edge of the shirt. "You didn't leave a note or a message."

"I wasn't exactly planning on being gone the whole day," he replied, sitting down beside her.

"Draco you know what I have to think when you don't come back," Hermione sighed, her voice slightly strained.

"I know Hermione. I'm sorry," Draco murmured, gently taking her hand in his.

"So where you then?" Hermione questioned, wincing slightly as she shifted her position on the couch.

"I ran into Evander on my way in, and we had a little… conversation," he answered, looking at her with calculated worry. "Is your back bothering you?"

"No," Hermione lied, giving him a small smile. "What did Evander say?"

"A lot of things, once promoted to do so," Draco responded, getting up and walking to Hermione's closet; returning a few moments later with her different braces stacked in his arms. "Which ones do you need?"

"I told you. I'm fine," Hermione replied, fiddling with the hem of the shirt.

"Okay then," Draco replied, crossing his arms over his chest. "Stand up from that couch and prove that it isn't bothering you."

Hermione scowled, slowly pushing herself off of the couch. "Why do you do that?"

"What?"

"You know darn well what," Hermione growled, rolling her eyes.

Draco just shook his head, offering her his arm and helping her over to the bed. Hermione was still stubborn after all these years, and would probably continue to be like that until she died.

"Lift up your shirt," he spoke, leaving her leaning on the bed as he went to grab the reinforcement brace.

"What did you and Evander talk about?" she inquired, raising the clothing as he had requested; still wanting to know what happened between her husband and eldest son.

"Mostly the concerns that Scorpius shared with you," he answered. "Though I didn't share the exact statements with him. I think he'd known for awhile though, that Scorpius had his suspicions."

"And are those suspicions accurate?" Hermione asked quietly, fearing the answer.

Draco paused, carefully placing the brace on Hermione's lower back. "They are… somewhat," he murmured, noticing how the muscles in her back tensed at his words.

"Draco…"

"Evander is not a Death Eater," he reassured her, firmly fastening the multiple clasps and straps around her back. "Though he had been considering it when Scorpius confronted him."

"Why?" Hermione whispered, tears forming in the corners of her eyes. "Doesn't he know what they've put him through? That they're the cause of all of this?"

"He wanted answers Hermione," Draco replied simply. "Answers that only Bellatrix could give him."

"He can't," Hermione murmured, her voice trembling. "They will kill him. That prophecy-"

"I know," Draco stopped her, fastening the last portion of her brace; gently pulling her shirt down over it. "He's not joining."

"You can't stop him," Hermione worried. "If that's really what he wants, he won't let anyone get in his way."

"Hermione listen to me,. Evander is not joining the Death Eaters," Draco spoke firmly; grasping her shoulders and turning her so he could look her in the eyes. "That isn't what he wants."

""Well then what _does_ he want?"

Draco paused, biting the inside of his cheek as he stared at his wife. "He wants to find the Death Eaters he and Kymber heard in the castle."

"So there really were Death Eaters in Hogwarts then," Hermione sighed, letting her head fall lightly against his chest. "What are we going to do?"

"We'll try and figure this out," Draco answered honestly, tenderly rubbing her shoulders. "We'll get ahold of Harry, and we'll get to the bottom of this."

"I'm so tired of this," Hermione sighed, shaking her head.

"It'll be over soon," Draco reassured her, softly pressing his lips to the crown of her head. He said it to reassure Hermione, but at the same time, he wanted to believe it himself; no matter how untrue it was.

...

 _ **A/N: Man... did that come across as cringe-worthy as I feel like it did? Goodness. Well. That's that I guess. Please R &R!**_


	14. Chapter 13

_**A/N: Told you I'd be posting the rest of the chapters today. :) For once, I'm keeping my promises. So... again, this chapter isn't quite as long as the rest of them, but yeah. I like it, so hopefully you guys will too. I think at this point if I remember right, there's only three chapters to go, and then that's it. So thank you for all of you who have been reading since the beginning.**_

 _ **I wish I owned stuff, but I don't. I'm poor, and can't afford the magnificence of the Harry Potter franchise. Please R &R!**_

Chapter 13

...

Evander ran his fingers through his wet hair another time, staring at his reflection in defeat. He was supposed to be dressed and down in the Great Hall in an hour, but he couldn't feel less ready than he did right at that moment. He glanced at his graduation robes hanging on the side of his wardrobe; pressed and ready to go. A knock on the dormitory door drew him out of his thoughts, making his feet move toward the door on their own accord.

"Hey," Kymber greeted as he opened the door, giving him a quick peck on the cheek. "Are you almost ready?"

"No," Evander responded, closing the door behind her. "My hair is starting to look like my mother's from her old school pictures."

Kymber laughed, gently tracing the silver and green patterns on his tie. "Well if it's any consolation, you already look very handsome."

"As if his ego needed any more preening," Callista teased, poking her head into the room. "Vander, mum and dad are here now if you want to see them before the ceremony starts."

He nodded, entwining his fingers with Kymber as he headed toward the door.

"I do agree though," Callista continued, glancing at him as she fell into place beside him as they walked. "You do look very handsome."

"Thanks Cal," Evander smiled, gratitude for more than one element lacing his words.

His sister nodded, jumping into a conversation with Kymber about a new theory she'd read in a book the day before. Since the conversation with his father almost two months previous, Evander had made a considerable effort to turn his life back around. He'd talked to Callista who'd forgiven him immediately, knowing it was an accident, and had helped her practice for two weeks straight; even returning to quidditch practice himself. The team had been enthusiastic to get him back, though many members were slightly hesitant around him at first. It had felt good to be back on the field though… even if playing alongside the replacement Seeker made his stomach feel hollow.

Overall, he'd managed to get his life back almost exactly where it had been before Evanna had died. He was back on the quidditch team, and his grades had risen back to where people expected them to be; especially for the son of Hermione Granger. The hardest and biggest change? His attitude. Evander no longer felt angry every time he woke, and he no longer felt the digging desire to inflict the same kind of pain he had felt on the people that had caused it. He was… happy again, and Evanna's death didn't feel like a weight on his shoulders anymore. Yes, it still hurt when he thought about it, and he still missed her every single day; but he no longer carried it as a burden.

"Evander!"

He broke out of his thoughts, smiling and bending down as Delanie ran over; jumping into his arms. "Look at your dress Lanie," he spoke, gently touching the dark green fabric of her dress. "You look so pretty."

"Thanks you!" Delanie beamed, moving away slightly so she could spin around. "Scorpsius picked it out."

"He did huh? Well he did a very good job," Evander replied, glancing up to look at his brother.

Scorpius stared back in cold defiance, his arms crossed tightly over his chest. Evander sighed inwardly, wanting to say something to make it better. Scorpius hadn't forgiven him for what had happened in the common room that day, and though he didn't treat Evander as if he didn't exist anymore, he refused to talk to him or be in the same room unless forced by their parents. It was hard… but he knew that he deserved everything Scorpius was doing to him. He'd betrayed his brother's trust, and that wasn't something that could be easily won back.

"And looks!" Delanie continued, stopping in her twirls to face him again. "Mummy's dress matches!"

"Yeah it does," Evander smiled, getting back up to embrace Hermione. "You look good mum." His mother dress robes looked exquisite; dark emerald fabric paired with delicate silver threads. Perks to bearing the Malfoy family name, you always had to dress well.

"Thank you dear," Hermione smiled, standing back to look at him. "Where are your robes? Don't you have to be dressed soon?"

"They're hanging up mum," Evander replied. "I'm going to change soon, just thought I'd come talk to you first."

Hermione nodded, watching as Evander turned to talk with Draco. The pair of men looked so much alike, and the more Evander grew, the more she could see Draco in him. The way he talked, held himself and acted reminded her so much of her husband, and it made her proud to see her son growing into someone like Draco.

"I'd better go," Evander spoke, sighed slightly. "I still need to get into my robes before the ceremony starts."

Delanie pouted, holding onto his leg tightly; her small hands grasping at his dress trousers. Evander smiled, carefully moving his legs so he could embrace Hermione again; knowing she needed it. Hermione wrapped her arms around her son, squeezing him tightly, afraid that if she let go, he'd disappear.

"I'm so proud of you Vander," she murmured, pressing her lips to his cheek. "I love you."

"I love you too mum," he smiled, glancing down at the small figure huddled on his leg. "Lanie, I have to go get ready."

"But you're already dressed," she replied, her voice muffled. "Why do you needs to go?"

"I have to put my robes on," Evander laughed, carefully detaching her from his lower extremities. "I'll see you soon okay?"

"Prwomise?" Delanie murmured; her brown eyes shining as she looked up at him.

"I promise," he smiled, giving her a quick hug. "Kymber!" he called, turning her head from where she was standing by her parents. "We have to go, or we're going to be late to our own graduation."

"I was just about to ask if you even planned on showing up," Kymber laughed, jogging over to his side; her heels clicking against the floor. "Nice to see you Mr and Mrs Malfoy," she smiled, quickly greeting his parents before they hurried out; running short on time.

"How long do you think it will take you to put on your robes?"

"Not more than five minutes," Evander replied, waiting for the staircase to turn. "I just need to make sure I look presentable so my mum doesn't murder me after."

"Hurry," Kymber commented, pulling her robes out of her dress pocket.

"How-"

"Shush. It's just a spell my mum taught me. Keeps them nice and starched, but doesn't take up space. Now get going!" she laughed, pulling the black robes over her dress.

"If I need to hurry, you need to slow down," Evander responded, glancing at her as he put on his own robes. "Your insignia is backwards."

"Oh Merlin," she sighed, rolling her eyes and quickly switching it.

Evander turned, quickly checking his reflection in the mirror. "Good to go. Let's get out of here."

The pair walked quickly down the steps of the boys dormitory, rushing out into the hall. Robes billowing out behind them, they hurried down the deserted corridors. Suddenly Evander stopped, pausing near one of the doors. Kymber stopped a second later, walking back to where he stood.

"Van-"

He put a finger to his lips, warning her not to speak. She nodded, looking at him in slight confusion.

"Do you hear that?" he whispered, gesturing toward the door.

Kymber shook her head, pressing her ear closer to the door. This was one of the rooms used by the Ministry employees while they were at Hogwarts. Angry voices sounded from the other side, rising in volume the longer she listened.

"Death Eaters?" she mouthed, looking back at him.

Evander shrugged, his face drawn in concentration as he listened.

"What are you doing?!" someone questioned, their voice showing anger and shock. "This is wrong!"

"Stay out of it Arabella. I'm not going to warn you again."

"No! Stop!"

The pair outside the door listened as they heard scrambling combined with angry shouts and threats. Quickly, Evander reached into his pocket, withdrawing his wand and pointing it at the door; unfastening the lock. Kymber followed him into the room just in time to see a jolt of green light, and Arabella Flint's body falling heavily to the floor.

"Evander Malfoy," Adelaide spoke, her wand still outstretched. "Aren't you supposed to be at graduation?"

"And from what I just heard and saw, you should be in Azkaban," he replied, his voice cold and hard as he faced her.

"What that? Just a bit of sibling rivalry," Adelaide sighed, using one hand to tuck her hair behind her ear. "Nothing to worry yourself about."

"Nothing to worry about?" Kymber spat, her wand pointed at the older witch. "You just murdered your own sister!"

"She got in the way," Adelaide spoke, her voice low and calm. "And I'll do the same to you if you don't move." She turned her head, a sick sort of smile lining her face as she looked at the eldest Malfoy heir. "You look like you have something to say Evander."

Kymber glanced over, her wand still trained on the blonde witch in front of her. "Evander-"

"Did you kill Evanna?" he questioned, rage barely concealed beneath his tone; his grip so tight on his wand, that his knuckles were white. Adelaide didn't respond, just stared at him; that same cruel grin remaining on her features. "Did. You. Kill. Evanna?" he snarled, red starting to form around the edge of his vision; the door opening behind him.

...

...

"You know, I'm somewhat excited to see this," Pansy commented, bouncing Aliyah lightly on her legs. "We never got one, and I'm ready to see what it's like."

"Me too," Hermione sighed, running her fingers slowly through Delanie's hair. "I mean, I came back, but wasn't included in the graduation."

"I don't know about you, but this is bound to be rather long and boring," Blaise yawned, rubbing his eyes. "Zabini is going to be last on the list, and I don't know if I can stay awake that long."

"You'd better," Pansy warned, glancing at her husband. All of them had gotten little or not sleep the past few months, desperately trying- to no avail- to solve the Death Eater problem that was plaguing Hogwarts.

"Did you ever figure out exactly which Ministry members could be involved?" Ginny questioned, looking at Hermione.

The curly haired witch shook her head, her attention drawn to the side of the room, where someone was slipping in; hoping to go unnoticed.

"Draco, what was Adrian's son named?" she questioned, nodding toward the young man at the back of the room.

Draco turned, his grey eyes flashing as he thought back to the former Slytherin. "Caspian." Realization dawned on him and he stiffened, as the ceiling above them erupted.

...

 _ **A/N: Wow look. I still can't write dramatic scenes. Someday I'll learn. Someday.**_


	15. Chapter 14

_**A/N: Man. If the last two chapters were short, this one makes up for it. This is one of the longest chapters I've written so enjoy ;) A lot of important stuff happens in this chapter, but again... I kinda suck at writing dramatic type scenes. So. Use your imagination and try and make this a ton better than it is.**_

 _ **Please R &R! It helps so much and I love hearing what you all have to say. **_

_**I don't own anything, but enjoy this chapter. :)**_

Chapter 14

...

"It was me Evander," Quinn spoke from by the door, his voice disturbingly calm. "I killed her."

Evander turned, disbelief coursing through him as he stared at the boy who had held his sister's heart in his hands; the same boy who had turned away from Evanna for her relation to a Death Eater. If Evander thought he'd wanted to kill him then, it was _nothing_ compared to what he was feeling now.

Evander's face burned; an animalistic snarl clawing its way up his throat. "You _bastard_." He lunged, slamming the older wizard into the wall, the tip of his wand digging into McLaggen's neck.

"Surprised?" Quinn questioned, his eyes boring into Evander's.

Evander pressed his wand harder into his neck, blood roaring in his ears and the spell resting on the tip of his tongue, begging to be released.

"Evander," Kymber spoke, gasping as Adelaide disarmed her; grabbing a fistful of her hair and holding it tightly, her wand trained on Kymber as Evander's was on Quinn.

He turned, giving the other wizard the opportunity he needed, wrestling out from Evander's grip and plunging a small dagger into his side; his eyes holding nothing but contempt at Evander's cry of pain and outrage.

"I assure you, your death will be much more painful than hers," he hissed, watching as the blonde fell to the floor; his features contorted in agony and rage.

"Quinn, we've got to go," Adelaide interrupted, hearing the reverberation of chaos coming from the Great Hall. "They'll need all the help they can get to enter this castle." Dropping her hold on Kymber, she shoved her away, taking her leave of the room.

He nodded, looking at Evander once more before following her; fastening the lock behind them.

"Evander," Kymber cried, crawling over to him.

"Stop," he ground out, his teeth clenched in pain. "You have to get to the Great Hall. Start getting people out."

"But-"

" _Go_ ," he growled, firmly grabbing the corner of the couch. "I can make it back to my room. I've got Potion's from my dad in there."

Kymber hesitated for a moment before grabbing her wand and unlocking the door; discarding her heels and sprinting down the long hallway. Evander groaned, shakily pulling himself upright. Where the bloody hell was his wand? He'd dropped it when that son of a bitch stabbed him. Another influx of pain swept through his body, sending him stumbling out into the hallway, slowly making his way toward the Slytherin common room.

 _You have to do this, for both of us._

Muttering the password, he staggered through the door and down the spiraling stairs; collapsing in front of the chest at the foot of his bed. Shaking, he undid the muggle lock, clumsily sifting through all of the books, bottles and other random contents of the chest; desperate to find the right one. Gasping as another spasm of pain wracked his body, he clutched his side, his vision becoming blurred around the edges. He could hear the battle now; the noise and fighting spilling into the halls and people desperately tried to escape.

"Evander!"

He attempted to turn, feeling beads of perspiration roll down his neck. It wasn't coming in waves, now he was just consumed by the pain; a white blinding fire that raged inside his veins.

"Drink," the newcomer ordered, holding something to his lips.

Knowing he had nothing to lose, he obeyed, the cold, bitter liquid cascading down his throat as blackness crept across his vision.

"Is he okay?" Scorpius shouted, throwing up another shield to block the onslaught of spells coming from the common room. As soon as the wards had collapsed, Callista had begged to find Evander; somehow knowing that he needed them.

"I don't know," Callista fretted, quickly uncapping another phial. "He needs dad."

"I'll give you as much time as I've got," Scorpius said grimly. "Find him."

She nodded, bolting out of the room, ducking and shielding herself with spells as she went; Scorpius covering her as far down the hall as he could without leaving the doorway. Sparing a moment he glanced over his shoulder at Evander, his blood running cold. Evander lay sprawled on the ground, his hands and robes covered with blood; his skin pale and shining with sweat. The small dagger was still embedded in his side, the handle coated in a mixture of blood and something black. Scorpius turned away, bracing himself against more of the spells; knowing he couldn't keep it up for much longer on his own.

A massive spell rippled across the common room; collapsing the Death Eaters or making them disappear completely, clearing the room as Draco rushed in, Callista hot on his heels.

"Where's mum?" Scorpius asked, stepping aside so his father could get to Evander.

"I don't know," Callista answered, her eyes wide and fearful. "She wasn't with dad when I found him. Is Vander-"

Scorpius shook his head, determination blazing in his eyes. "Dad can fix it," he reassured her, walking toward the common room doors. "We have to go find mum and Aliah."

…

…

…

"How many people got out before they closed the wards?" Ginny shouted, her back pressed up against Luna's.

"Not enough," the blonde replied, pelting back with a barrage of spells that caught her attacker off guard.

"They're going to tear this place apart like they did before," Ginny growled, pulling one of the passing students out of the way of a jetstream of red.

"They're looking for the Malfoys," Pansy responded, holding Aliyah tightly to her chest. "You saw what that prophecy said Luna."

The blonde witch nodded, determination and fear shining in her bright blue eyes. "Well they're not going to get anyone," she said firmly

…

…

…

Draco leaned over his son, worry trailing a steady course through his veins. He'd removed the small dagger only moments before, managing to seal the wound before Evander bled out onto the floor; hoping that he had enough blood replenishing potions hidden within his robes.

"Damn it," he swore, watching as the puncture re-opened; dark red liquid dripping onto the teen's fair skin.

"What is it?"

"This knife had to be poisoned," Draco answered, shaking his head as he looked through Evander's trunk. "He's not responding to anything."

"Nothing?" Blaise repeated, keeping his wand trained on the door.

"No," Draco replied, starting to sound panicked; fear lacing through his words. "I tried the Wound-Healing Potion, Murtlap Essence, Dittany… everything."

Blaise's features were firm with concentration; holding a shield spell on the doorway as Death Eater rushed passed. "If Bellatrix made it, there's probably a reason it isn't responding to anything you're trying."

 _In your robes Dad… You keep something there. It will give him a chance._

Shaking his head to clear Evanna's voice from his mind, he dug in his robes, withdrawing a small bottle, checking the label to make sure it was the right one. _Phoenix Tears._ If this didn't work… Draco growled low in his throat, frustration and fear bringing out a hint of the irrational boy from the Second Wizarding War; carefully pouring the potion on the open wound. The blonde on the floor didn't respond, laying as still as a corpse. "Damn it Evander. You've got to give me something," Draco spoke, almost pleading with his son to show some sign of life.

After a few moments, Evander groaned, his pale eyes opening slowly as if he'd just woken up from a long, peaceful nap. "Hey Dad," he rasped, clenching his jaw in slight pain as he came back to reality.

"Bloody hell Evander," Draco sighed, torn between berating him for his actions, or wrapping his arms around him. "Think you could respond faster next time? Instead of giving me such a fright?"

"Sorry," Evander laughed drily, his eyes flashing as he looked at his father. "I'm not going to go down by a bloody knife though. How pathetic."

Draco rolled his eyes, staring at his son with nothing less than admiration. Merlin he hoped they all made it through this… He and Hermione weren't nearly as young as they used to be, and war was a young person's game.

"Go find mum," Evander said quietly, almost reading Draco's inner thoughts exactly. "I just have to catch my breath and I'll be up and going again."

Draco nodded, standing and turning to leave before pausing, glancing back at Evander. "Where's your wand?" he questioned.

"I don't know," Evander sighed, rubbing his eyes. "It's most likely gone by now though."

The muscle in Draco's jaw ticked, but there wasn't any hesitation in his voice or actions as he pulled out his own wand, handing it to his son.

"Dad… I can't take your wand. How will you-"

" _Take it_ Evander," Draco firmly interrupted. "I know enough to survive without a wand for a bit."

Evander still looked doubtful, but accepted the wand nonetheless; knowing how difficult it must be for Draco to give it up. Not because he didn't love him… but because Malfoy's _never_ went into a situation less than prepared. But Evander knew that his father was well versed in wandless magic, and his mother would protect her husband to the death; wand or not.

"I've got to find your mother," Draco worried, glancing behind him to see that Blaise had already gone.

"I'll come find you," Evander promised, clutching his father's wand firmly in his hand.

Draco nodded, his eyes connecting with Evander's once more before he left; his robes billowing out behind him.

Evander watched him leave, letting his head fall back to the floor as soon as his father was out of sight. Merlin it felt like his bones were on fire. Gritting his teeth, he lifted himself up onto his elbows; almost crying out at the sparks that shot up his spine. Fighting like this was not going to be easy.

"Fighting isn't easy no matter what."

Evander turned, fear shooting through his veins. "I can't be dead…"

Evanna laughed, shaking her head as if he'd said something incredibly stupid. "No. You're not dead," she murmured, standing up and walking over to him. "But you might be if you stay here on your arse."

"Evanna Malfoy. You should be ashamed to use such language," Evander chided, mimicking something Hermione had once said to them.

"Who else is around to hear it?" she joked, her grey eyes sparkling as she looked at him. "Now seriously. You aren't just going to let the Death Eaters win are you?"

"Over my dead body," Evander growled, pushing himself the rest of the way off the common room floor, his eyes hardening in rage.

Evanna's eyes glittered, the signature Malfoy smirk stealing across her features. "Give them hell for me."

…

…

…

Pansy crouched on the frozen ground, pale white flakes falling peacefully around her; completely contrasting the catastrophic phenomenon happening precisely at the same moment. Damn Death Eaters were making it snow. It was so much harder to fight in the cold. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she Blaise who was leaning heavily against her shoulder; her salty tears mingling with the crimson liquid quickly staining the front of his shirt. She turned briefly to look behind her for a moment, her throat closing as she took in the sight of the building behind her being engulfed in flames; parts of the giant edifice already falling, some already collapsed and crumbled. The sounds of screams surrounded her on all sides; people running to and from the building trying to evacuate. Her breath coming in short, sporadic gasps, she turned back around and pressed the fine linen of her cloak to her husband's chest, attempting futilely to delay what she knew was bound to happen.

"You have to go," Blaise managed to choke out, wincing as she pressed her cloak against his chest.

She shook her head, tears still trailing down her pale face. "I can't leave you. I _won't_." The stupid man had intercepted a hex intended for her, and it was slowly ripping him apart. She wanted to kill the Death Eaters.

"I know," he whispered, gently brushing his thumb over her cheek. "But you _need_ to. We can't make our children orphans."

"They need you. _I need you_ ," Pansy cried. "I can't do this by myself."

"Yes you can," he smiled, a flash of pain crossing his face as the curse continued working it's way through his body.

Pansy cried out in agony, her heart torn as Aliyah's tiny hands wrapped around her arm.

"Mummy," her small voice sounded next to her, tugging at her cloak.

The woman turned to her daughter, picking her up in a tight embrace; clenching her teeth in pain as the wound in her side screamed. Another present from the Death Eaters. She wrapped her cloak tighter around herself and her daughter, attempting to block out the chill of the winter storm and the sight of her dying father.

"Mummy!" Aliyah cried again, tears pouring down her small face. "Daddy hurt…"

"Shhh," Pansy soothed, attempting to wipe her daughter's tears away; choking back a scream as she realized her hands left bloody streaks across the young girl's face. "Daddy's going to be fine okay?" she choked out, hoping her daughter believed her.

"Daddy," the girl repeated.

Pansy turned back to her Blaise; her eyes full of pain as she clutched her daughter to her chest. "Okay," she whispered, setting the young girl down.

The toddler wobbled on unsteady feet, falling against her father. "Daddy hurwt."

Blaise nodded, holding his daughter's hand lightly in his; pain continuously flashing across his eyes. "Yes love. But daddy's going to be alright."

"Really?" she asked, her brown eyes turning bright with hope.

"Really," he replied, tears pricking the edges of his vision. "Can you do something for me?"

Aliyah nodded, her brown hair bouncing around her small face. He smiled, wincing as another wave of pain coursed through his body. "Perfect," he whispered.

"What my hafta do?" Aliyah smiled, seeming excited about doing something for her father.

"You have to go with your mum alright?" he said, looking into his daughter's bright eyes. "Your mum is going to take you and your brother and sister far away from here...where it's safe."

The young girl smiled, but her brow quickly furrowed in confusion. "Daddy come with us?"

Blaise shook his head, glancing over at Pansy whose face was clouded with anguish and regret. "I can't come with you right now. I'm sorry sweetheart."

"Comes later?" she questioned.

Pansy held her hand to her mouth to muffle her choked sob; not wanting her daughter to know about Blaise's impending death. She looked at her husband, their eyes meeting over Aliyah's head before he turned down to look at the young girl.

"Sweetheart….if you go with your mum now, I promise that you'll see me again," he said softly. "Can you promise me that?"

Aliyah nodded, the light coming back into her eyes. "I pwromise daddy," she smiled, wrapping her small arms around his neck.

"That's my good girl," Blaise smiled, holding her softly for a moment before pulling away. "You've got to go with your mum now. It isn't safe here."

Aliyah nodded, turning back to her mother and walking unsteadily a few steps away to plop down on the grass; seemingly oblivious to the roaring flames and destruction all around her. "Loves you daddy," she smiled, waving her small hand toward him before turning to play with a stray dandelion.

"I love you too sweetheart," he replied, turning away from his daughter to look at his wife.

Pansy wrapped her arms around his neck, her shoulders shaking. "I'll tell her one day," she whispered. "She'll know what her father died for."

He wrapped his arm tighter around her; his other held on the ground, supporting him. "She'll have you, and her siblings...she'll grow up to be an amazing witch," he responded.

"I'll come back for you. Once I get them to safety, I'll come back. I'm not going to leave you here to _die_ ," she replied fiercely, placing her hand on the side of his face as she looked into his eyes.

"Don't come back," Blaise said firmly. "It's too dangerous. Stay with them. They need you."

"They need you too," Pansy protested with a whisper, tears still streaming down her face.

"We'll all see each other again. I promise," he smiled, kissing her softly.

They pulled apart as an explosion from the castle rattled the ground around them. More of the large edifice crumbled and the noise of all the people around them became more chaotic. He turned to look at the large building, his brow furrowed with worry. "You have to go. Now," he said, his voice firm. "Find Max and Kymber and find a way out. Please."

Pansy nodded, pulling away from him; her heart jumping in her chest as multiple clouds of dark smoke surrounded them. She grabbed Aliyah, clutching her tightly to her chest as the smoke dispersed, leaving masked Death Eaters in its wake. Her daughter turned slightly in her arms; her small face twisting in fear as she saw the cloaked figures.

"Mummy?" she whispered, turning her fearful face Pansy.

"It's okay sweetheart," Pansy replied softly, letting her daughter bury her small face into her shoulder.

The Death Eaters raised their wands, aiming them at the mother and daughter. "Now might be a nice time to surrender," one of them voiced as they all took a step closer.

The woman opened her mouth to respond, but before she could, Blaise rose unsteadily, his wand pointed firmly at the Death Eaters. "Not likely."

"You really think you can fight us in your condition?" they laughed in unison. "You might as well already be dead."

"Maybe," he snarled; knowing there was no way in Salazar's inheritance that he was making it out of here. "But I can probably take a few of you down with me."

The Death Eaters laughed again, and he glanced back at Pansy one last time. "Go. Now," he said firmly, his eyes flashing. "I'll hold them off as long as I can."

She nodded, giving him one last look before turning and running for the forest; holding Aliyah tightly in her arms. Blaise watched her for only a moment before turning back to the Death Eaters, his gaze firm and stone cold.

"What a brave front," one of them rasped. "Too bad it will all be for nothing." The Death Eater fired a spell at him; but Blaise threw up a shield quickly, effectively blocking the curse. "Too bad too. It seems like you have quite the nice little family there."

Blaise's features contorted with rage as he fired back relentlessly. "You stay the hell away from them."

The Death Eater grinned cruelly; his eyes flashing as he returned the man's attacks. "Can't make any promises."

…

…

…

"Mummy, we left daddy," Aliyah cried, clinging tightly to her mother's neck.

"I know. Daddy is going to meet us soon," Pansy answered breathlessly, pausing behind a tree to catch her breath.

The little girl nodded, a small smile appearing on her face, before turning into a look of horror as she screamed in fright.

Pansy turned at the her daughter's outcry and a popping sound behind her. She stifled a scream as she whipped out her wand and fired a spell at the masked figure, knocking them off of their feet.

"Hold on tightly love," she whispered to her daughter.

The girl tightened her hold around her mother's neck as Pansy continued sprinting further into the woods, away from the burning wreckage of the building behind her; trying not to think about her most likely dead husband.. She ducked as a bright burst of green flew past her shoulder, setting the tree to her right on fire.

"Mummy!" Aliyah screamed, burying her small face once again in her mother's shoulder as the pursuer shot another jet of green flame towards the running woman.

Pansy quickened her pace; throwing a quick hex behind her, knocking over a tree in a futile attempt to block the masked assailant. The tree did nothing however, as the man dissolved into a cloud of black smoke before reaching the fallen wood. She kept running, her feet crunching against the frozen ground littered with fallen snowflakes. She and Aliyah screamed in unison as the man reappeared directly in front of them, promptly disarming Pansy in her second of confused alarm. She stood facing the masked man, unable to move; literally, as he had cast a freezing spell, holding her firmly in place.

"Mummy?" Aliyah whispered, looking up into her mother's eyes.

"Yes dear?" Pansy replied, clutching her daughter close to her chest.

"Daddy coming now?" she asked, small tears forming in her eyes. "He prwomised ifs I went 'way."

"Yes love," Pansy replied, her own eyes filling with tears. "We're going to see daddy again real soon."

That seemed to reassure her, and Aliyah smiled, reaching out to touch the curls cascading over Pansy's shoulders, her head turning slightly towards the masked man standing behind her, holding her mother's wand.

"Keep your eyes on me sweetheart," Pansy whispered, taking her daughters chin in her hands again and drawing her gaze back towards her.

Aliyah nodded, keeping her eyes locked on her mother's. "Loves you mummy," she smiled, pulling on one of the brown curls and watching it bounce. timid voice as the masked man raised his wand.

Pansy tearfully nodded as the man laughed evilly from behind them. "What's love going to do for you now?" he growled in a low, dark voice.

"Mummy?" Aliyah asked once more, running her small hands over Pansy's face, as if trying to memorize exactly what she looked like through touch.

Pansy smiled, tears rolling down her cheeks as she looked at her young daughter. "I love you too darling," she whispered. "I love you so much."

Her voice trailed off as the Aliyah's small head fell lightly against her shoulder; the soft brown curls mingling with her own. She lovingly stroked her hair as the masked man fired his final spell; both of them crying out and falling to the ground as the jet of green light hit them. The masked man laughed cruelly into the night and disappeared once more in a billowing cloud of black smoke.

...

 _ **A/N: Also, if you didn't recognize or remember, this chapter includes the prologue from the very beginning. :)**_


	16. Chapter 15

_**A/N: I am so so so so so so so sorry. I cannot believe that I promised you that I would upload the rest of the chapters last time, and then didn't. I feel absolutely horrible, and I hope that you can forgive me. Honestly, I just got distracted with school stuff and work and life. So so sorry.**_

 _ **Alright, here's the very last chapter. I mean, there's an epilogue chapter that I'll upload right after this, but as far as full-fledged chapters go... this is kinda it. This story has been so rough, and I really wish I would have written it better, so I promise that in a little while, I'll go through both stories and edit them thoroughly, and try to make them better.**_

 _ **Since this is pretty much the last chapter, I hope you like it or at least feel like it's kindof a good end. Please read and review and let me know one last time what you think. :)**_

 _ **Love you all! -The Freckled Kangaroo**_

Chapter 15

...

"Scorpius," Hermione gasped, relief flowing through her as she caught sight of her son.

He fought his way toward her; looking more and more like Draco with every wizard and witch he blasted out of his way. Reaching her, he pulled Delaine from her arms, wrapping his arms protectively around his little sister. "Room of Requirement?" he questioned, gritting his teeth as a spell narrowly missed his legs.

Hermione shook her head, throwing a powerful shield around them. "Hogwarts is falling apart. If you can make it to the Shrieking Shack… that leads to Hogsmeade and out of here."

"Where's Callista?" Scorpius questioned, worry flooding through him. The pair had become separated after they'd left Evander, and he hadn't seen her since.

"She should be waiting inside the Shack for you," Hermione reassured him, pulling her children into an alcove as the ground fell away from where they'd just been standing. Quickly, she wrapped her arms around him; squeezing him as tightly as she could, knowing it was possible that she'd never see them again. "I love you," she murmured.

"I love you too mum," Scorpius replied, feeling his breath rattling in his chest. He backed away, determination showing on his young features. "And I'll see you tonight at Evander's graduation dinner," he added, giving her a stare that only he could pull off. It was all he could stand to do; he didn't want to think of what might happen.

Hermione turned as he disappeared through the throng of people, yelping in surprise when someone almost barreled into her; narrowly avoiding one of the crumbling pillars that crashed down seconds later.

"Thought I'd find you near the library," the man grimaced, holding the shield as strong as he could in front of them.

"Draco!" she exclaimed, blasting the Death Eater that followed him back the way he'd come. "What in the good name of Merlin are you doing-"

"Without a wand?" he finished, turning toward her, exhaustion peering around the anger in his eyes. "Evander needed one."

Hermione nodded, not pushing the subject further. They needed to find him a wand… and quick. There wasn't many attack spells you could do without one.

"One of the Death Eaters wands should do," Draco sighed, reading her thoughts. "One perk I suppose of still having this blasted mark is that any wand belonging to a Death Eater will still respond to me."

Determination flooded through her bright brown eyes before she ducked away, deftly plucking such a wand from the grasp of a cloaked figure before hitting him between the eyes with a spell before he could react. She turned back to Draco, a small smirk on her face as she handed him the stolen wand.

"You know, you could have simply disarmed him with your _wand_ ," Draco intoned, taking the wooden weapon from her hand. "Then I wouldn't have almost had a heart attack watching you get that close to a Death Eater."

"You know, a simple 'thanks, Hermione. Now I can actually defend myself' would suffice I think," she scoffed, jumping as a spell collapsed the wall beside her.

"Maybe it's not such a good idea to stand around talking in the midst of a war," Draco sighed, a muscle in his jaw ticking as a shield spell fell a little short of where he wanted to.

"Is that wand going to work?" Hermione worried, replacing his shield with hers.

"It'll be fine," Draco replied, uneasiness gnawing at the pit of his stomach.

...

...

 _Behind you_.

Evander spun, catching the Death Eater off guard; shooting a spell smack into his chest. He couldn't see her, but somehow Evanna was in his head; helping him and watching his every move.

 _On your left._

Again, Evander threw up a shield, disarming the Death Eater and blasting him away. He needed to find his siblings… make sure they got out before it was too late. He knew Scorpius could probably handle himself, but Callista hadn't even started training yet.

 _Bellatrix_ _… She's here._

He turned from his spot in the courtyard, feeling the blood leave his skin. Bellatrix was walking up from the lake, followed by nearly fifty more Death Eaters; multiple familiar faces flanked close to her side. She definitely made a terrifying and powerful image, Evander had to give her that. She hadn't donned her mask for this fight, and her strong, youthful features radiated anger and authority across the hordes of battling witches and wizards. If he didn't know any better, Evander would have thought that she couldn't have been much older than himself, perhaps only graduating a few years ahead of him.

 _Oh the power of a time-tuner huh?_

He shook his head, Evanna's voice bringing him out of his somewhat fearful and awing trance. Bellatrix was dangerous; even more so now that she was young again and restored to her full strength. And now she had full access to the castle, thanks to some backstabbing Ministry wankers.

"Evander, you have to get out of here. Bellatrix will start looking for you."

The blonde youth turned, coming face to face with the large blue eyes of Luna Scamander. He hadn't ever really talked to the strange woman, but his parents- especially his mother- seemed to respect her.

"Luna, where is Scorpius? Have you seen him?" he questioned, suddenly frantic about finding his little brother.

"I haven't seen him," Luna replied, her eyes blazing as she blasted a line of Death Eaters out of their way. "But Hermione said something about sending them to the Shrieking Shack."

Evander nodded and Luna knocked another group of Death Eaters out of the way, giving him space to exit the rapidly growing crowd in the courtyard. Merlin, he hoped they were already there, it would be near impossible to find them around this many Death Eaters.

A hex hit him from behind, sending him stumbling into a nearby wall; cutting open his head on one of the sharp stones.

"Shame. I thought you'd be dead by now," Caspian spoke, his voice full of contempt and a certain snarkiness that really only Slytherin's possessed.

"Sorry to disappoint," Evander shrugged, throwing up a shield as the older boy fired a steady stream of red light toward him. Merlin. This gash on his head was not going to make things any easier.

"Doesn't matter. I suppose you'll be seeing your dirty little sister soon enough," Caspian snarled, his spell growing stronger and pushing against Evander's shield which was becoming weaker and smaller by the second; the poison from the knife still flowing through his system and weakening his reaction time and strength.

Evander's features hardened in rage, slight shock darting across his face when Quinn appeared, adding his spells to Caspian's; the pair determined to eliminate the eldest Malfoy heir.

"Had to come back to finish me off McLaggen?" he spat, feeling small beads of perspiration rolling down his neck as he struggled to hold his shield against the combined efforts of the two young Death Eaters.

"Well I did a fairly clean job eradicating your sister didn't I?" Quinn replied, his features wiped clean of any emotion. "It will gain me more favor with Bellatrix if I dispose of _both_ the Malfoy twins yes? Then the prophecy will be that much closer to being fulfilled."

Evander felt his stomach drop, remembering the hint of a conversation he'd had with Kymber one night when the only thing he'd been interested in was revenge and death.

 _"Vander, I swear this sounds like this is about your family," Kymber spoke, trying to gain his attention. "Rylan'_ _s older brother works in the Department of Mysteries and saw the whole thing._ _"_

 _He didn_ _'t respond, just sat on the couch; his gaze connected with the dancing flames in front of him._

 _"Evander, if this is about your family, you have to be careful," she sai_ _d firmly, placing her hand on his knee._ _"One of you can stop her, but she will try and kill you before that can happen."_

"As long as someone in my family is alive, that prophecy still stands," Evander replied, his footing slipping slightly as a wave of vertigo washed over him. He was losing blood… fast.

Caspian opened his mouth to reply but was interrupted by a bolt of bright green light, hitting him square in the chest; silencing him forever.

Evander turned to look, relief flooding through him at the sight of his father, who stood only meters away; cold murder raging beneath his eyes.

 _This is what he must have looked like when he fought for the Death Eaters_. Evander shook the thought away, feeling a new sense of strength running through his veins. Quinn's attack faltered, and Evander struck; the spell leaving his lips and slicing through the older boy. He watched in cruel satisfaction as the spell took effect; deep gouges splitting open across Quinn's chest, blood pooling around him. Sectumsempra.

 _A family favorite_ , Evanna agreed, and Evander could picture her standing in the training room, her thin arms crossed over her chest; a malicious smirk on her face.

"Go," Draco spoke, breaking Evander's gaze away from the sight of the dying boy in front of him. "Get to the Shrieking Shack."

Evander nodded, briefly clasping his father's hand before plunging back into the battlefield, heading toward the Whomping Willow.

"Vander!"

He screeched to a halt, whipping his head around at the sound of his little sister's voice.

 _There. By the greenhouse._

And there they were; Scorpius' arms wrapped protectively around Delanie as they were backed into a corner; Bellatrix standing in the very front.

His feet were moving before he could even register that they needed to; ignoring the ever growing pain in his side as he ran, desperate to get to his siblings before it was too late. Scorpius had his wand out and a shield in place, but it wouldn't last long against Bellatrix; especially when half of his energy was focused on Delanie. The toddler was crying, fat silver tears carving trails down her small cheeks; her brown eyes wide with fear as she stared at the cloaked figures.

Evander wasn't close when one of the Death Eaters broke Scorpius' shield; the light fragments exploding around them as Bellatrix raised her wand, something golden glinting on her fingers. Making a split second decision he blinked, apparating the last few meters he needed; seeing the shock written on his brother's face as he appeared in front of him, replaced almost immediately with horror.

Then everything went black.

...

...

The only thing Scorpius could hear was his own breathing as he stared at his brother's body, crumpled on the ground in front of him; still and unmoving. It wasn't happening again… it _couldn_ _'t._

Bellatrix grinned, raising her wand again as Delanie let out an ear-piercing scream; the torment finally reaching her young brain and flooding her with the results of what she'd seen.

Her screams gave Scorpius enough time to raise another shield before Bellatrix could attack. Another high pitched scream from Delanie and he could have sworn he saw something in her hands glow a bright silver; and then Bellatrix was thrown back, her skull hitting the stone pathway with a sickening crunch. The Death Eaters disappeared one by one, retreating as more and more people were drawn to the source of his sister's screaming.

By this time tears were falling steadily down his face, and he couldn't see straight; sure that everything would end soon, and that Bellatrix would finally win, for she was already picking herself up off of the ground; her face twisted into an ugly sneer.

And suddenly his mother was there, his father close behind her as she grabbed Bellatrix's wand; cleanly snapping it in two as she used her foot to snap the evil witch's hand back to the pathway. Determination showing on her bloodstained face, Hermione pressed Bellatrix's hand harder into the stone; hoping she'd been right about the ring she'd seen on the older witch's hand. There was a sound of shattering glass and Bellatrix's eyes went wide with horror as the sand disappeared into the ground.

...

...

 _ **A/N: Please read and review! I love you all, and want to thank you for letting me write and share my ideas with you, and thank you to all of you who have stuck with this story since the beginning!**_


	17. Epilogue

_**A/N: Here it is. The very last upload I have for this story. It has been such a journey, I can't even believe it. There's been so many ups and downs and crazy things happening through this, that I'm honestly surprised that I finished it at all. But I did! And here it is! And I just really want to thank all of you for reading, and for leaving your wonderful comments, and for cheering me on even when I felt like I was done with the whole thing! You all are so amazing you don't even know!**_

 _ **I especially want to thank Zeb1312 and Princess Miya for their wonderful reviews! You two made me so happy every time you reviewed, and you stuck with this story until the end. You are so amazing, and I can't even describe it. Thank you.**_

 ** _I'm not sure if it's a good thing or not, but I already have quite a few other ideas written for other fics, so if you don't hate me or my writing, keep your eyes open for something coming soon! :)_**

 ** _And here it is. The Epilogue for How The World Ends. (it's kinda cheesy, but just bear with me.)_**

Epilogue

...

"I didn't want to leave them you know."

He whispered the words so softly, it was hard to know if he'd said them at all, or just thought them. Blinking quickly to dispense the stinging liquid in his eyes he gently touched the wildflower in his hands, watching the pale miniscule flakes drift softly back to the ground. "I _wanted_ to stay there with them…To finally get back to living and to see this hellish war to the end." His voice broke at the end and he shut his eyes, trying to block it all out, though unfortunately he'd never had the power to put up mental walls like his father. "There was a time when I didn't. I wanted a way out; some way to get away from the feeling of _losing you_." He turned his head, glancing down at his sister.

Evanna looked up from where she lay beside him on the soft, clover dotted grass. "Vander, they're not going to think that you… left on purpose. They _love_ you, and they are going to miss you just as much as you did me." She sighed, resting her arms up behind her head, her pale grey eyes following the sparse clouds that drifted across the sky. "Besides, you did see the war to it's end. Bellatrix is _dead_."

"As are we," Evander murmured, twirling a blade of grass between his fingers.

Evanna flipped onto her side, propping herself up on one elbow; her head tilted slightly to the side. "Yes," she replied.

Evander didn't respond, and she could see the muscles in his body still tensed; as if he was still expecting the war to be going on around them.

"Vander, you know you don't have to worry about them anymore," she spoke gently, pushing herself up so she was sitting with her arms resting across her knees. "They're safe. Scorp and Cal can continue school without worrying about death lingering around every corner, and Lanie can grow up in a happier world than we did. She can _live_ , because of you."

"And what about mum and dad?" Evander questioned, his silver eyes swimming with grief as he turned to look at her. "They fell apart when you died. Can you imagine what losing _another_ child will do to them?"

Evanna hesitated, gently twisting her hair in her fingers. "I guess they'll just have to move on. Like they did for me," she whispered, staring at the soft pleats in her shirt.

The twins sat in silence, letting the gentle breeze blow over them. Evander looked out across the lake to the towering castle beyond, feeling a mixed sense of peace and longing. He was sure Hogwarts didn't look like that anymore, but it was comforting to see it how it had been; during better times, when the world wasn't being torn apart. He would definitely miss this place. Sitting on the grass, skating on the lake during the winter months, going to Hogsmeade… taking naps beside the fire.

"Evanna… it's time to leave."

The pair turned, Evanna's features slipping into a state of content, while Evander's turned more toward confusion.

"What's going on?" He questioned, looking back and forth between his sister and the woman standing a few meters away. She looked familiar, but he couldn't seem to put a name to her face.

Evanna smiled, standing and offering him her hand as he followed suit. He opened his mouth to question her again when another figure joined them, and Evander had to stop himself from recoiling with shock.

"Narcissa, I told you to give them as much time as they needed," Lucius chided gently, his hands situated comfortably in the pockets of his robes.

"If they stay here for too long, they'll feel the pull to become ghosts," Narcissa replied, looking pointedly at Evanna. "Or they'll start appearing in people's dreams."

Evanna blushed, tucking her hair behind her ear. "I didn't know that would happen at first."

Narcissa smiled, gently wrapping the girl in her arms. "No worries dear," she replied reassuringly, her bright blue eyes sparkling as she looked to the young wizard. "Hello Evander," she spoke softly, waiting for him to speak.

"You're Lucius and Narcissa," he murmured, realizing in the back of his mind how immature and idiotic he sounded. "Dad has your portraits hanging in his office… but he hardly speaks of you."

"Yes, well that sounds an awful lot like Draco doesn't it?" Narcissa replied, an amused smirk gracing her aristocratic features as she glanced at her husband.

"Yes he never was one to show much outward weakness," Lucius responded, rolling his brilliant grey eyes; the ones that had been passed down to his son and both of the children in front of him.

Suddenly, Evander's upbringing slapped him across the face. "I'm sorry," he apologized, ignoring the amused look Evanna was wearing. "I've been rather rude. I didn't even respond when you greeted me."

"You responded in your own way," Narcissa smiled, waving her hand lightly over her shoulder as if to brush the whole thing off. "Besides, I'm sure it's a rather large shock anyhow."

"I've been staying with our grandparents," Evanna offered, looking at him from where she stood between the two elder Malfoy's. "I found them a few days after I… died."

"And we've enjoyed every minute of it," Lucius murmured, sharing a smile with his wife. Evander watched them, the fear and guilt he'd previously felt disappearing. These were his grandparents, though they didn't look much older than his own parents, and their smiles reminded him of the family he'd left behind. Lucius and Narcissa looked truly happy, and Evanna looked just as much so, if not more. Happiness was so rare in the life Evander had been living, that it seemed so refreshing to be around it again; even if he was now dead.

"Come come you two," Narcissa smiled, looping her arms through the twins', leading them away from Hogwarts, and deeper into the foggy mist that would normally be the Forbidden Forest. "I've taken a liking to cooking. More room for experiment and mistakes here," she joked, her blue eyes sparkling as she talked. "There's a lovely batch of chocolate chip cookies cooling in the kitchen."

…

…

"Lane! Come on! We're going to miss the welcome feast!"

"Be down in a minute!"

She wasn't going to miss the feast. It wasn't to start for another half an hour, when the first years arrived by boat. But for now, she was going to continue browsing the library. At least until she found the book she was looking for.

Delanie Malfoy wouldn't describe herself as anything out of the ordinary really. Or maybe it was the fact that she didn't _want_ to be anything other than ordinary. Too many strange things had happened in her life already, and she didn't need any more.

She couldn't remember much of her early life to be honest. No one really talked about it, and she had been too young to remember most things. But there were things she would never be able to forget… no matter how hard she tried. Things like her mother's eyes almost always looking like they were filled with tears, how there were two chairs around the table that no one ever sat in; the two that belonged to the twins. Things like how she'd spent her sixth birthday with her mother, because Aliyah had been the only person she'd invited, and she hadn't come. At the time, she'd thought that Aunt Pansy and Aliyah had moved away; but now that she was older, she'd learned the truth. But that didn't change her memory of that day.

Nor did it change the fact that all the birthdays since then until she was ten, were spent in a bookstore, browsing for the latest fantasy novel, trying to find some world where she didn't feel out of place. It didn't change the fact that her father had spent two years as a raging alcoholic; almost killing the family potion business in his absence of mind. It didn't change the fact that Scorpius had missed his last year at Hogwarts and spent the next five years in rehabilitation. She remembered finding a letter that his medi-nurse had sent home; crumpled and thrown in the trash. Curiosity won, and she'd read it; and even now she remembered every word it had said, and how it had explained that he would need to continue his therapy, as he still blamed himself for his brother's death and that could lead to harmful actions on his part, especially since his magic was still so erratic and unpredictable. She hadn't known what that meant so she'd written to him, asking him why he would think he killed Evander. She'd gotten a short, simple reply, probably not even written by him, saying the words, " _I didn_ _'t speak to hi_ _m for three months. I told him he was dead to me. I never_ _… never told him that I forgave him. Or how much I love him. He died believing that I_ _ **hated**_ _him._ "

He'd missed her first day on the Hogwarts train, he'd missed her letters home, he'd missed all the Christmas' spent playing in the snow covered gardens of the Manor. He had missed so much, and she could tell that he still regretted it. Now, eleven years later, he was somewhat back to normal. There were still days when he slipped into bouts of depression, or felt too sick to go to his job at the Ministry, but he was better. It helped he wasn't alone; Rose had moved in with him a few years back, and kept him grounded on the really bad days. Sometimes he still wrote to Delanie, anxiety ridden that Rose was going to leave him because of how dark his mind got. But she never did, and every time he hinted at it, he got a firm rebuking and often a smart smack to put him back in his place.

Hermione and Callista had fared the best through the whole thing, though they both had had their slip ups. Callista had moved to America for a year after graduation, working with Newt Scamander on his new book; though it wasn't on researching creatures though. Her year in America had lifted her spirits somewhat, and she'd moved back to London; meeting up with her old friends and finding a good job with the Daily Prophet _and_ The Quibbler based off the high praise that Mr Scamander had given to the Editor in Chief; who just so happened to be his grand-daughter in law.

Two years ago, Callista had married James Potter, which had originally struck Delanie as odd, but the more time she'd spent around the pair, the more she grew to love them together as well as apart. And yesterday, before leaving for school, the new Potter family had come to dinner, and Delanie had gotten to hold her baby nephew for the first time. He'd looked so small, cradled gently in her arms; his erratic black hair sticking up in odd directions; giving his little head an interestingly fuzzy look.

In fact, everyone had been home yesterday. Home, and _happy_. Scorpius and Rose had come from their home in Birmingham, and James and Callista from Westminster with the aforementioned nephew; little Jaxper. Even Teddy and Victoire had come; having just returned home from a trip to Romania with Charlie. They'd all been together, and Delanie couldn't remember a time when she'd been happier.

Smiling, she pulled the renewed copy of Hogwarts: A History off the shelf, tucking it under her arm and walking to the side corridor; her steps slowing as she neared the opening, where she could just make out the first column of portraits. Taking a deep breath, she stepped in; knowing where she was headed. It took her exactly fifty three steps to reach the desired letter of the alphabet, and she had a smile on her face before she even raised her eyes.

"The badge looks good on her doesn't it Vander?"

"It does. Much better than it looked on you," he joked, his grey eyes glittering.

"You're just jealous," Evanna laughed, flipping her golden blonde hair over her shoulder, as her painted eyes stared at her younger sister. "Ready for the year as Head Girl Lanie?"

"Ready as I'll ever be I suppose," Delanie smiled in response, choosing not to mention that she didn't go by Lanie anymore. She didn't remember her oldest siblings much, for they'd died when she was still so young, and all she really had were names. But every so often a memory would resurface of a girl with long blonde curls playing with her, or singing as they browsed for books, and a boy with vivid grey eyes who nearly beheaded her dolls constantly, accompanied by bright green flashes. It saddened her to know that she hadn't ever gotten to know them in real life; though every year without fail, she would come and visit their shared portrait and get to know them a little better.

"I doubt I will do as good a job as you," she grinned, adjusting the book in her arms.

"Whatever," Evanna snorted softly, Evander disappearing outside the frame for a moment. "You're a crowd favorite Lanie. You'll do marvelous things."

"I'm assuming that you think that because of the color of my robes?" Delanie laughed, glancing down at the deep emerald color adorning the edges of her Hogwarts uniform.

"Oh Salazar no," Evander sighed, pretending to faint as he reappeared. "If anything the color of your robes should make people quiver in fear."

"Don't tease her like that," Evanna chastised, smacking him lightly on the shoulder. "You know house standing has practically been abolished."

"I didn't say anything," Evander responded, holding up his hands in defense, smirking in his younger sister's direction. "At least she didn't end up in Ravenclaw or Gryffindor. How freaking predictable."

"Like a Malfoy being in Slytherin isn't predictable," Evanna smirked.

Delanie laughed, her voice bouncing lightly down the portrait covered hall. There was usually someone down this hall; visiting someone that they had lost during the war, and it made her both happy and sad. It was wonderful that people could see their loved ones, but it was devastating because they could never really _know_ them.

"You do know we're proud of you Lanie," Evanna murmured, her grey eyes filled with a mixture of emotions from inside the portrait.

"And we wish we could have been there to watch you grow up," Evander added, returning to his own portrait. "We're sorry."

"You _have_ watched me grow up," Delanie pointed out, wishing that she could reach out and touch them like she could Scorpius or Callista. "You've been here for me every year since I started."

"But not before that," Evander said softly, the corner of his lip twitching up in what could have been a smile, if it wasn't so despondent. "And we're not actually _here_ _…_ "

"Hey," Delanie interrupted, staring firmly at her siblings' portrait. "You have done the absolute _best_ that you could, and you've been here for me whenever I've needed someone to talk to, or just someone to _listen_ and understand." Her voice broke a little, and she softly cleared her throat, taking a couple deep breaths. "I couldn't have made it through all these years without you two."

Evanna gave her sister a watery smile, using the edge of her matching emerald robes to dab at her eyes. "Geez. Look at me. I'm going to melt my paint," she joked, accepting a handkerchief from her brother. "When does the feast start?"

"In just a few minutes," Delanie answered softly, knowing she'd have very little time to come back and visit once the year actually started. "I'm sorry."  
"What? Don't be sorry," Evander responded, looking at her with a slightly shocked expression. "You have a year to celebrate! You're Head Girl for Salazar's sake. Live it up while you have the chance! This is the last opportunity to actually enjoy yourself before you are shipped off to the Ministry to work like a dog for the rest of your life."

"How would you know about that?" Evanna questioned, giving him an odd look.

Evander shrugged, a devious sparkle in his eyes. "Hey, kids talk when they're here. And you know, it never did sound very appealing."

Evanna rolled her eyes, turning back to her youngest sister. "Any plans for after graduation yet? We are Hermione Granger's children after all. So naturally people will assume that you have a plan."

"Actually, I do," Delanie beamed, blushing slightly even though there was nothing to be embarrassed about. "Headmistress McGonagall offered to let me come intern here after graduation, with the hopes that I will take over Professor Flitwick's position after a year or so."

The twins clapped and cheered, seeming absolutely exhilarated about the news. Evanna's pale cheeks were bright pink, and Evander's eyes sparkled with excitement. "Ah! You're going to be here! At Hogwarts!"

Delanie nodded, just as pleased with the outcomes as they were. If she was here, that meant she didn't have to give up her opportunity to talk to her siblings every day, and she could do something that she loved. Overall, things seemed to be looking up.

"Oh Merlin Lanie that's amazing!" Evanna breathed, beaming brightly at her little sister. "You'll do so great."

"Thanks Evanna," Delanie smiled, hugging the book tightly to her chest.

"Lane!"

She turned, realizing that now, she really might be late to the feast. She hesitated, not wanting to leave the portraits.

"Go," Evander murmured, still smiling. "You don't have to worry about us. We'll see you as much as we can."

Delanie nodded, taking a few, small steps back. "I love you both."

"We love you too Delanie. So much," Evanna responded, giving her a small wave. "Now, go show all these people how amazing the Malfoy Head Girl is."

Delanie beamed, looking at her siblings once more before running out of the library, nerves and excitement running through her veins. This world was about to end, but she had a whole new one waiting, and she'd just barely grazed the tip of everything with her fingertips. For really, this was just the beginning.

...

...

 _ **A/N: Goodbye for now! Thank you all again, so much for reading and being here with me for this! You all are so amazing. Hermione, Draco, and all their children thank you too!**_

 _ **-TheFreckledKangaroo**_


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